Assessments shall be set by the county commission, as follows:

(a) Each industry category shall establish a committee to determine the following within its industry category: industry segments, assessment formulae for each industry segment, and any type of business exempt from assessment. The committees shall be selected by the county commission based upon recommendations from the tourism industry. Committee members need not be commission members.

(b) The committee recommendations shall be presented to the county commission. The county commission may adopt a resolution specifying one or more of the items listed in subdivision (a), plus an allocation of the proposed assessment. The county commission shall consider the recommendations of any committee.

(c) The initial industry category and industry segment allocations shall be as set in the Selection Committee Report required by subdivision (b) of Section 13995.30. Changes to the industry segment allocation formulae may be recommended to the county commission by a segment committee. At the same meeting, the county commission may amend the percentage allocations among industry categories. Any item discussed in this section that is approved by resolution of the county commission, except amendments to the percentage allocations among industry categories, shall be placed on the next referendum, and adopted if approved by the weighted majority of votes cast. All industry segment members shall be subject to any duly approved assessments.

(d) Upon approval by referendum, and recommendation to the county by the county commission, the county treasurer/tax collector shall calculate the assessments due for each assessed business and mail an assessment bill to each assessed business. The county treasurer/tax collector may stagger the assessment collection throughout the year, and charge businesses a prorated amount of assessment based on the staggered assessment period. The county treasurer/tax collector shall not divulge the amount of assessment or weighted votes of any assessed businesses, except as part of an assessment action.

(Added by Stats. 2003, Ch. 229, Sec. 1.5. Effective January 1, 2004.)