Sec. 3.

(1) A bureau that has its principal place of business in an assessment district may file a marketing program notice with the director. The notice shall state that the bureau proposes to create a marketing program under this act and cause an assessment to be collected from owners of transient facilities within the assessment district to pay the costs of the program.

(2) The marketing program notice shall describe the structure, history, membership, and activities of the bureau in sufficient detail to enable the director to determine whether the bureau satisfies all of the requirements of section 2(e).

(3) The marketing program notice shall describe the marketing program to be implemented by the bureau with the assessment revenues and specify the amount of the assessment proposed to be levied, which shall not exceed 5% of the room charges in the applicable payment period, and the municipality or municipalities composing the assessment district.

(4) Simultaneously with the filing of the marketing program notice with the director, the bureau shall cause a copy of the notice to be mailed by registered or certified mail to each owner of a transient facility located in the assessment district specified in the notice in care of the respective transient facility. In assembling the list of owners to whom the notices shall be mailed, the bureau shall use any data that are reasonably available to the bureau.

(5) The form of the marketing program notice, in addition to the information required by subsections (1), (2), and (3), shall set forth the right of referendum prescribed in subsection (6).

(6) Except as otherwise provided in subsection (8), the assessment set forth in the notice shall become effective on the first day of the month following the expiration of 40 days after the date the notice is mailed, unless the director, within the 40-day period, receives written requests for a referendum by owners of transient facilities located within the assessment district representing not less than 40% of the total number of owners or not less than 40% of the total number of rooms in all of the transient facilities.

(7) If the director receives referendum requests in the time and number set forth in subsection (6), the director shall cause a written referendum to be held by mail or in person, as the director chooses, among all owners of transient facilities in the assessment district within 20 days after the expiration of the 40-day period. For the purposes of the referendum, each owner of a transient facility shall have 1 vote for each room in each of the owner's transient facilities within the assessment district. If a majority of votes actually cast at the referendum approve the assessment, as proposed by the bureau in its marketing program notice, the assessment shall become effective, except as otherwise provided in subsection (8), as to all owners of transient facilities located in the assessment district on the first day of the month following expiration of 30 days after certification of the results of the referendum by the director. If a majority of votes actually cast at the referendum are opposed to the assessment, the assessment shall not become effective. If the assessment is defeated by the referendum, the bureau may file and serve a new notice of intention if at least 60 days have elapsed from the date of certification of the results of the earlier referendum. Not more than 2 referenda or notices may be held pursuant to this subsection or filed pursuant to this section in any 1 calendar year. Only 1 assessment under this act may be in existence in an assessment district, or any part of an assessment district, at any 1 time.

(8) The assessment described in this act shall not be effective before January 1, 2011.

History: 2010, Act 254, Imd. Eff. Dec. 14, 2010