STORY AND PHOTO BY KAREN BOSSICK

The City of Hailey is seeking five to seven Hailey citizens to serve on a committee to figure out how to allocate Local Option Tax monies for affordable housing.

Hailey Mayor Martha Burke had pledged that she would engage Hailey citizenry in figuring out how new tax dollars should be spent if voters passed a bill reallocating the 1% for Air Local Option Tax.

Eighty-five percent of Hailey voters passed the ballot measure on the tax so that half of the monies go towards minimum revenue guarantees for air service and the other half for affordable housing projects. The LOT will remain in effect until 2050.

Had the tax monies been split between air service and affordable housing this year it would have generated $78,500 for housing.

Those interested on serving on the new committee should submit a letter of interest by June 23 to Lisa Horowitz, the Hailey City administrator, at lisa.horowitz@haileycityhall.org.

“I am thrilled that the Hailey community has voted to create a new revenue stream for Hailey housing, as  housing is one of the most critical issues facing our town today,” said Horowitz. “I am looking forward to working with the citizens committee to bring a recommendation to the City Council as to the types of expenditures that are of top-priority for these funds.”