(ALBANY,NY) Assemblyman Patrick Chludzinski (R,C – Cheektowaga) announced passage today of a bill he sponsored that would allow the Town of Cheektowaga to establish an occupancy tax as a source of generating new revenue and reducing the town’s growing debt without placing additional strain on town property taxpayers.

“The cost of providing municipal services continues to rise and local property taxpayers are already overburdened,” said Chludzinski.“While I am generally not in favor of raising taxes, this bed tax is revenue generated from outside the community.It will have minimal impact on out of towners paying it, but cumulatively it can have a meaningful impact on the town budget.”

In advocating for the bill Chludzinski noted that Cheektowaga is home to 17 hotels, numerous retail and shopping centers, and the Buffalo Niagara International Airport which has an annual economic impact of $1.7 billion and generates $139 million in state and local tax contributions.This bill allows the town to take advantage of these assets to meet growing expenses.

“There are additional strains placed on municipal services to a town that is home to a major airport and a commercial tax base as large as Cheektowaga’s,” said Chludzinski.“It only make sense to take advantage of the opportunities presented to a host community,” he added.

The Assemblyman said he was first approached about sponsoring an occupancy tax earlier this year by Cheektowaga Councilman Tony Filipski who, like Chludzinski, was also in his first year in public office and looking for new ways to deliver services while protecting taxpayers.

“I was impressed with Councilman Filipski’s ingenuity and his desire to find practical solutions to the town’s fiscal challenges,” stated Chludzinski.“New York is a home rule state, and I am pleased that with Senator Baskin’s support we could deliver on his request,” the Assemblyman concluded.