(1) In accordance with the procedures set forth in this section, the board of county commissioners of each county, for the purpose of advertising and marketing local tourism, may levy a county lodging tax of not more than two percent on the purchase price paid or charged to persons for rooms or accommodations as included in the definition of "sale" in section 39-26-102 (11), C.R.S. No tax shall apply within any municipality levying a lodging tax.

(2) (a) The county lodging tax shall be collected, administered, and enforced, to the extent feasible, pursuant to section 29-2-106, C.R.S.

(b) The department of revenue shall perform, on an annual basis, an analysis to determine the net incremental cost of such collection, administration, and enforcement. The department of revenue shall retain only the amount determined to be necessary by the cost analysis, and in no event shall that amount exceed three and one-third percent of the amount collected. Such amount retained shall be transmitted to the state treasurer, who shall credit the same to the general fund, and such amount shall be subject to appropriation by the general assembly for the net incremental cost of such collection, administration, and enforcement.

(c) Any person or entity providing rooms or accommodations as included in the definition of "sale" referred to in subsection (1) of this section shall be liable and responsible for the payment of an amount equivalent of up to two percent of all such sales made and shall quarterly, unless otherwise provided by law, make a return to the executive director of the department of revenue for the preceding tax-reporting period and remit an amount equivalent up to the said two percent on such sales to said executive director.

(3) (a) The board of county commissioners may, by resolution, approve a proposal for a county lodging tax; thereupon, such proposal for the county lodging tax shall be referred to the registered electors of the unincorporated areas and the municipalities subject to the lodging tax at a special election held for such purpose. Any such election may be combined with any other special election. On and after January 1, 1989, such tax may only be approved at a general election.

(b)

(I) Such proposal shall contain a description of the proposed county lodging tax, including its purposes, and shall state the amount to be imposed and shall describe any municipality within the county which has such a tax and which shall therefore be excluded from the election proposed in paragraph (a) of this subsection (3) and any resulting lodging tax.

(II) If any additional lodging tax or statewide tax on lodging facilities is enacted or levied after January 1, 1987, which in combination with the lodging tax authorized by this section exceeds two percent, the tax under this section shall be reduced by that amount that the total tax exceeds the two percent maximum specified in subsection (1) of this section.

(c) Repealed.

(d) No public moneys from any source shall be expended directly or indirectly to urge electors to vote in favor or against the imposition of the lodging tax. Nothing in this paragraph (d) shall be construed as prohibiting an elected official from expressing his personal opinion concerning the imposition of the lodging tax.

(e) Upon the adoption of the resolution by the board of county commissioners approving such county lodging tax proposal, the county clerk and recorder shall publish the text of such county lodging tax proposal four separate times, a week apart, in a newspaper of general circulation within the county. The cost of the election shall be initially paid out of the general fund of the county. If the county lodging tax is approved, the general fund of the county shall be reimbursed out of the county lodging tax tourism fund described in paragraph (a) of subsection (4) of this section. The conduct of the election shall conform, so far as practicable, to the general election laws of the state.

(f)

(I) If approved by a majority of the registered electors from the municipality or unincorporated area subject to the lodging tax voting thereon, the county lodging tax shall become effective as provided in section 29-2-106 (2), C.R.S.

(II) If a majority of the registered electors voting thereon fail to approve the county lodging tax, the question shall not be submitted again to such electors for a period of one year following the date of said election.

(4) (a) All revenue collected from such county lodging tax, except the amounts retained under subsection (2) of this section, shall be credited to a special fund designated as the county lodging tax tourism fund, hereby created. The fund shall be used only to advertise and market tourism in accordance with paragraphs (b) and (c) of this subsection (4) and to reimburse the general fund of the county for the cost of the election in accordance with paragraph (d) of subsection (3) of this section. No revenue collected from such county lodging tax shall be used for any capital expenditures, with the exception of tourist information centers.

(b) Upon approval of a lodging tax by the electors pursuant to this section, the county commissioners shall select a panel of no less than three citizens to administer the tourism fund. Members of the panel shall be appointed from the tourism industry within the municipalities or unincorporated areas from which the lodging tax is collected. Where there is an established and proven marketing entity within the county formed for the purpose of advertising and marketing tourism, the panel is encouraged to use that entity, and that entity shall provide an accounting to the panel and tothe county commissioners.

(c) The panel, to the extent feasible, shall advertise and market tourism for the benefit of those unincorporated areas and municipalities from which the lodging tax originated.

(5) Nothing provided in this section shall in any way prohibit municipalities and counties from cooperating to create countywide uniform lodging taxes with voluntary abandonment of municipal lodging tax ordinances.

(6) Repealed.