In addition to boosting local businesses, visitors to Schuylkill County may soon be helping firefighters hone their skills with a $1.4 million training center.

County commissioners this week took the first steps toward increasing the hotel room rental excise tax from 3 percent to 5 percent to offset the county's contribution to the fire training center, being built by the Schuylkill County Volunteer Firefighters Association on Firemans Road just outside Frackville.Commissioners in August pledged up to $500,000 over 10 years for the center. Officials expect to break ground for the project on Wednesday.The county since 2002 has imposed a 3 percent tax on rooms rented by hotels, motels, bed-and-breakfast establishments, and other overnight accommodations.Last year, the tax generated $281,419, county Finance Director Paul E. Buber said.That money was turned over to the Schuylkill County Visitors Bureau, minus a 2 percent administrative fee.Raising the tax to 5 percent would increase the total revenue to about $469,000, he said.The Visitor's Bureau would continue to get 3 percent of the revenue.The extra 2 percent would be used for the fire training center and for economic development, said Commissioners' Chairman George F. Halcovage Jr.The percentages for each entity have yet to be determined, he said.The economic development portion may eventually help repair county bridges and other infrastructure, he said."This is definitely going to help our municipalities because of the training facility," said Commissioner Gary J. Hess.The hotel tax increase would shift the burden for the contribution from county property owners to tourists and other visitors, he said."The end result is that it helps our citizens," Hess said.Halcovage said the board kept residents in mind when they were asked to contribute to the center."That's one of the goals that we had, when we were asked to help fund the fire school, we did not want it to go onto the backs of property owners," he said."This will be a state-of-the-art facility," he said.He said people who come to the county to train at the center will also stay in public accommodations, increasing business for hospitality providers.Hess said the center would also host training for police, emergency medical technicians, and other groups."It's going to be a greatly utilized tool," he said.Commissioners have for years budgeted about $30,000 annually to firefighters.Both commissioners lauded the teamwork among county officials and the Visitors' Bureau in reaching the 10-year hotel tax agreement.Commissioner Frank J. Staudenmeier was absent from the public commissioners meeting Wednesday.The county must publish notice of the proposed hotel tax increase before enacting it, said assistant solicitor Glenn T. Roth Jr.Commissioners expect to approve the publication when they meet at 10 a.m. Wednesday; they anticipate voting on the levy when they meet at 10 a.m. April 26.Halcovage said the county began planning for the increase as soon as state lawmakers last fall authorized counties to raise the hotel tax from 3 percent to 5 percent.He said Treasurer Linda Marchalk has been contacting establishments that have not paid the tax.Halcovage said that in some cases, the business owners were unaware they were subject to the levy.