PORTLAND, OR-Those opposing a proposed Hyatt hotel at the Oregon Convention Center said last week that they will try to take the issue to voters.

The project, which would rely on some public backing, is being promoted by the Metro regional government. The announcement of the referendum initiative came shortly after the Multnomah County commissioners on Thursday formalized the funding mechanism first laid out in an intergovernmental agreement in September. This, according to a report in the Oregonian/Oregon Live.

That would involve tax on hotel stays, which would be used to pay back bond debt for the proposed hotel. If the referendum reached a ballot, voters would have a choice to either keep or undo the tax changes that clear the way for the hotel.

A group of hoteliers is opposing the public backing for the project. Metro says a public subsidy is needed to secure a block of 500 hotel rooms and other amenities that could be marketed to out-of-town conventions. That, the regional government says, would bring more large events to Portland, bringing in tourism dollars and filling more hotel rooms overall.

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