🎯 STRisker: Bulletin - Springfield, MO
Springfield Voters to Revisit Hotel & STR Tax for Convention Center
Hotel & STR Tax Hike Returns as Springfield Eyes Major Events Center
Photo by nextdoor.com
For the second time in five months, Springfield voters will decide whether to raise the city’s hotel and short‑term rental tax to help fund a major convention and events center downtown.
On April 7, residents will vote on Question 1, a proposal to increase the city’s hotel license tax from 5% to 8%, raising the total lodging tax rate to 16.1% when combined with the base sales tax. The increase would sunset after 35 years, with collections beginning July 1, 2026.
Question 1: “Shall the City of Springfield, Missouri, impose an additional three percent (3%) license tax on the business of renting, leasing, or letting living quarters, sleeping accommodations, rooms, or a part thereof, in connection with any hotel, motel, tourist court, or short-term rental, derived from or paid by transient guests for sleeping accommodations, for the purpose of attracting travel and tourism, including the construction, operation, and maintenance of a regional convention and events center? The additional three percent (3%) license tax shall automatically expire after a period of thirty-five (35) years.”
The measure applies to hotels, motels, tourist courts, and short‑term rentals such as Airbnb and Vrbo. A similar proposal failed narrowly in November 2025, but that version would have made the tax permanent. City leaders returned with a revised plan after gathering community feedback and releasing more detailed project visuals.
Revenue from the tax would help finance a $175 million expansion and renovation of the Springfield Expo Center, transforming it into a full‑scale convention and events facility. A 205‑page feasibility study by Hunden Partners recommends a venue with 125,000 square feet of event space, including a 65,000‑square‑foot exhibit hall, a 30,000‑square‑foot ballroom, a junior ballroom, meeting rooms, and an outdoor plaza. In total, the project could span 250,000 square feet.
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The city has tapped global architecture firm Populous, along with Springfield‑based Sapp Design Architects, to lead design work. Preliminary renderings unveiled March 19 show a multi‑story addition to the Expo Center and use of the adjacent city‑owned vacant parcel. Crossland Construction has been selected as the construction manager at risk.
Advocates argue the project could be transformative. The Hunden study projects $1.347 billion in new spending over 30 years, along with more than $130 million in combined state and local tax revenues. The center could host up to 164 events annually within four years of opening, drawing nearly 180,000 attendees and generating 80,000 hotel room nights.
But critics question whether convention centers reliably deliver promised economic benefits. University of Texas professor emeritus Heywood Sanders, who has studied the industry for decades, warns that many centers fall short of consultant projections. He points to Overland Park and St. Charles — both cited as regional competitors — where actual hotel room nights have been far below forecasts. “If you’re relying on the consultants’ forecast, at the very least… these cases should give you pause,” Sanders said.
The project also envisions a 400‑room connected hotel, estimated at $209 million, plus 600 additional rooms within walking distance. While the city says the hotel would be privately funded, it may use tools such as Tax Increment Financing or Chapter 100 Industrial Development Bonds to support a developer. Mayor Jeff Schrag emphasized that no General Fund dollars would be used.
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Parking remains a key question. The Jordan Valley Car Park — with 977 spaces — meets the study’s recommendation for 900–1,200 connected spaces, but it is owned by Atrium Hospitality, which also manages the Expo Center. Discussions with private property owners are ongoing.
Supporters say Springfield lacks a true convention center and that the Expo Center’s current limitations hinder tourism growth. “We have a very underperforming Expo Center,” said Visit Springfield CEO Mark Hecquet. “This is about creating a mixed‑use venue that serves conventions, sports, community events — everything we don’t have right now.”
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