Springfield voters will decide on April 7 a 3% hotel/motel license tax to fund a new convention and event center downtown. KSMU’s Michele Skalicky talked with Jack McGee, government affairs reporter with the Springfield Daily Citizen, who’s been covering this topic.
Jack, you recently wrote an in-depth article about the proposed Springfield Convention and Event Center that a ballot issue on April 7 would fund. The convention Center’s conceptual designs have been released, and we know it would incorporate the existing Expo Center. Remind our listeners why city leaders believe this is a project that’s needed for Springfield, and in fact, so much so that they brought it back before voters after it failed in November.
McGee: Yeah. So both city leaders, as well as advocates of the project, really point to some of the projections outlined in a feasibility study that was completed last year that really suggests that this proposed convention center would have a significant economic impact in Springfield, both in terms of jobs created, hotel room, nights generated, you know, new local sales tax for the city, the county, as well as the state and just more spending in the community…