The Gadsden City Council approved a $5 per night surcharge for overnight stays at the city’s campgrounds. The decision, made during a February 4 meeting, applies to Noccalula Falls Park and Campground, River Rocks Landing, and Tillison Bend Campground, which was recently annexed into the city limits.
The new fee supplements an existing $1.50 surcharge on campgrounds and hotel rooms that support the Etowah County Tourism Authority and the Etowah County Mega Sports Complex Authority.
According to city officials, the additional charge will fund a bond issue to support the proposed West Meighan Sports Complex project.
The lodging tax assessments had not been updated since 1999. They explained that the city did not directly benefit from the previous surcharge. Tena King, director of city services, stated that the new funds would help make Gadsden’s camping fees more competitive with those in similar municipalities across the state.
Council member Jason Wilson emphasized that Gadsden’s campgrounds offer some of the most affordable rates in Alabama, making room for the increase without significantly impacting visitors.
Wilson explained that the majority of campers at Gadsden’s sites are out-of-town visitors, many of whom come during major holiday weekends. “We have local people who, instead of a river lot, get a camper where they can go during the summers with family on weekends,” Wilson said, as reported by Gadsden Times on February 10.
“But overwhelmingly, most of the people we see at campgrounds are a transient population,” Wilson added.