| Country Inn and Suites pleads no contest for non-payment of May 2008 hotel-motel taxes; hotel has until June 18 to pay $4,035 in fines, penalties |
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Country Inn and Suites in Quincy.
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Published: 6/11/2009 | Updated: 6/18/2009
Quincy Hotel LLC, the corporation doing business as Country Inn and Suites, pleaded no contest today in Adams County Circuit Court in connection with a lawsuit brought by the city of Quincy for nonpayment of hotel-motel taxes.
The city of Quincy filed suit May 12 seeking fines and penalties of $156,000 from the corporation. The lawsuit specifically related to $10,890.95 in hotel-motel taxes the hotel collected in May 2008 that should have been turned over to the city treasurer by June 30, 2008.
The hotel also had not complied with payment of hotel-motel taxes for other months in 2008, but the city case only related to taxes due in May 2008.
Associate Circuit Judge Chet Vahle entered a finding of guilty during an 8:30 a.m. hearing and accepted a recommendation from City Attorney Anthony Cameron that the hotel pay a fine of $4,000 plus costs.
Vahle gave the hotel until June 18 to pay that amount.
Cameron said he was satisfied with the outcome.
“Using the ordinance violation method of enforcing creates an interesting balance,” he said. “We want the fine to be enough to deter this operator and others from thinking there are no consequences for non-compliance. On the other hand, we don’t want to immediately go to the maximum possible penalties, however justified, because those amounts would stagger any business.
“This fine shows our compliant operators that noncompliance will be punished and indirectly expresses appreciation for their responsible behavior.”
Mike Hill, managing member of Quincy Hotel LLC, said after the hearing that the hotel has paid $110,939.79 to the city treasurer, which accounts for all the hotel-motel taxes past due.
“As of yesterday, we have paid everything but interest,” Hill said. He said the interest amounts is $13,253.97, and “we’ll have that paid by the end of next week.”
A representative from the hotel delivered a check for $80,410 to City Treasurer Peggy Crim earlier this month, claiming the payment covers all back taxes and penalties due for 2008. The payment was based on a series of amended hotel-motel tax returns for 2008 that also were turned in.
Crim said today that she has processed the amended returns and turned over her findings to Cameron. She would not say how much the hotel has paid in back hotel-motel taxes.
In addition to the lawsuit, Mayor John Spring on Monday revoked the operating license of the hotel effective July 8 after concluding the hotel failed to remit $80,655 in hotel-motel taxes collected from guests during the period May through November 2008.
Hill said the hotel’s management has requested a hearing before that date to show that it has come into compliance.
Cameron said the court case is separate from the revocation cause, and today’s court action will have no impact.
The city has not said whether Country Inn and Suites, 110 N. 54th, has paid hotel-motel taxes due so far in 2009.
Cameron said that the recent sequence of events has brought about increased cooperation between the hotel and the city.
“We are very hopeful we don’t have to do anything more of a punitive nature,” Cameron said. “We have an open line of communication with the operator now and are encouraged by its recent contacts with us and payment progress.”
— kwilson@whig.com/221-3391
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