Bellevue City Council members on Monday approved placing a measure on the November ballot that, if approved, would increase and expand local-option taxes for the city.

The change, if approved by 60% of voters on Nov. 4, would set new LOTs of 1% on restaurant food and 2% on liquor by the drink. It would increase the city’s existing 3% tax on short-term lodgings to 6%.

The taxes would last for 15 years, with an option to change them in the interim by another public vote.

Mayor Christina Giordani said Bellevue’s current LOT on lodging provides a substantially smaller portion of Bellevue’s budget than LOTs in other valley cities generate for their respective budgets.

“Bellevue’s LOT makes up the smallest percentage of budget of any city in Idaho that collects a local-option tax,” she said.

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