A new statewide poll by The Glengariff Group in Lansing finds bipartisan support for allowing Michigan communities to adopt a 3 percent fee on hotel and short-term rental stays to fund essential local services.
An overwhelming majority of the 600 likely November 2026 voters surveyed believe the recently introduced legislative proposal, Essential Services Tax Enabling Act (House Bill 5140), offers a fair and transparent funding solution for infrastructure, roads, and public safety used by visitors — reflecting a broad belief that tourists should help pay their fair share.
“Michigan voters are telling us something loud and clear, tourists should help pay for the services they use,” says State Rep. Mark Tisdel, sponsor of the bill. “This proposal is common sense, bipartisan, and rooted in fairness. It ensures communities can maintain strong roads, first responders, and infrastructure, and it does it without asking local taxpayers to take on more.”
Some of the poll’s key findings include:
- 70 percent of voters support enabling localities to charge a local tourist fee after learning more about the proposal, and 63 percent say they would vote yes if the proposal was on the ballot today.
- 76 percent agree tourists should help pay for the public services they use, while only 8% believe tourists currently pay their fair share. Nearly half (47%) say the proposal is good for local taxpayers, compared to just 14% who say it is bad.
- 79 percent prioritize investing in public services and infrastructure, compared to just 13% who prioritize tourism marketing. Still, 91 percent say tourism is important to Michigan’s economy, signaling strong support for tourism paired with a fair funding model.
- Voters want new revenue directed to road improvements (34 percent) and police, fire and emergency services (34 percent), with additional support for parks, beaches, and beautification.
The proposal tested in the survey is modeled on the Essential Services Tax Enabling Act, which would authorize Michigan communities to place a local accommodation fee of up to 3 percent on hotel and short-term rental stays, contingent on local voter approval. Communities would retain full control over how the revenue is spent, allowing them to direct funds to priority needs such as public safety, roads, and infrastructure. To ensure fairness and consistency, the fee would apply equally to both hotels and short-term rentals.
If adopted statewide, the proposal is estimated to generate more than $20 million in new revenue annually for Michigan local governments, providing a significant funding stream for essential services. In 2024 alone, more than 2.1 million Airbnb guests stayed in Michigan, generating $1.3 billion in economic activity, $355 million in tax revenue, and supporting 17,500 jobs — yet under the current framework, most communities receive none of the local accommodations revenue tied to that activity. The legislation would allow cities, villages, and towns to keep more tourism dollars local and reinvest them directly back into the services that support both residents and visitors.
