Fall Lake township leaving Ely lodging tax board discussed

A push to pull Fall Lake lodging tax monies from the Ely and send them to Lovin Lake County in Two Harbors was met with pushback at a three-hour town board meeting Wednesday night.

Cindy Smyka, Fall Lake’s representative on the Ely Area Lodging Tax Board joined the meeting on Zoom. She has called for the current board members to be removed as well as the board’s attorney.

“In regards to the lodging tax, I do believe we’re at a pretty critical juncture, not only has summer or wildfires severely impacted our peak season, but we may be faced with the major decision regarding local lodging tax revenues,” said Smyka.