City Beat: Council approves education plan for 3% tourism tax measure

As city leaders make a second attempt at passing a 3% increase to the tourism tax to fund a downtown convention and events center, getting information out to the public has been deemed a priority.

On Feb. 2, Springfield City Council approved a community education and information framework in the lead-up to the April 7 election, when the question is scheduled to be on the ballot.

The funding would finance the renovation, expansion and conversion of the city-owned Springfield Expo Center, to include the demolition of a former Sears building at the rear of the facility.

In a January listening session about the failure of the November 2025 tax measure, City Manager David Cameron said the city did not do a good job of telling the story of the convention center, according to past Springfield Business Journal reporting.

The education plan is an attempt to remedy that problem on the second attempt at a tax ballot measure.

Cora Scott, Springfield’s director of public information and community engagement, stressed the importance of a clear message about the proposed center and the tax that would fund it, with voter approval.

“City Council recognizes the importance – and I appreciate this so much – of providing clear, concise, comprehensive, transparent and accessible information to the public regarding this project, including its purpose, its financial structure, safeguards, anticipated outcomes and its relationship to broader city priorities,” Scott said.

Scott said an education committee has been meeting to craft the plan, and it includes City Council members, city staff and community representatives, and the public information staff is drafting 19 education deliverables.

“We’ve emphasized the need for simple and consistent messaging, transparent explanations of project elements, including the project scope, cost controls, site selection, long-term financial sustainability and the role of a privately financed headquarter hotel, not funded by public funds, as well as opportunities for community listening and vision,” Scott said.

She added that the framework will provide a clear path forward for communication.

Councilmember Heather Hardinger, co-chair of the tourism tax education committee, sponsored the resolution.

“This work is about transparency and trust, and regardless of how someone ultimately votes, the public deserves straightforward facts and an understanding of the scope, timeline and financial framework of the project,” she said.

Hardinger spelled out what a convention center could mean for the community: “A stronger visitor economy, more conventions and regional events, new opportunities for local visitors and residents and a facility that can serve both community events and tourists alike,” she said.

Councilmember Bruce Adib-Yazdi, also a co-chair of the education committee, said the center is a first step in economic vitality, a council priority.

Adib-Yazdi said the city has had periods of intentional growth in the past, including the arrival of multiple manufacturers at the invitation of city leaders in the 1940s-1960s, the growth of educational and medical facilities in the 1960s-1980s, retail development in the 1970s-1990s, downtown revitalization starting in the 1990s and finally the new airport terminal, which opened in 2009.

“I just kind of think back on where we’ve been and where we are now, and I think it’s time for this kind of a project to come together,” he said.

The education measure passed after a single reading as a resolution.

Scott said SpringfieldMO.gov/election is a central repository of information on the project.

North Glenstone spruce-up
A group of North Glenstone Avenue business owners has proposed a special taxing district to pay for beautification and security at a key entrance point to the city of Springfield.

Council is scheduled to vote Feb. 9 on a proposal for the North Glenstone Community Improvement District.

The CID as proposed would have the power to impose a 1% tax on retail sales made in the district. The additional CID sales tax would bring the taxation rate in the district to 9.1%.

The district is generally located along North Glenstone Avenue between Interstate 44 and East Turner Street, the intersection located a block south of Kearney Street.

The proposed district comprises 48 parcels with 33 property owners on 172 acres of land, said Amanda Ohlensehlen, Springfield director of economic vitality and workforce development. The properties comprise a mix of commercial uses, including retail, restaurants and hotels, she said, adding that more than half of district property owners signed the petition to form the district.

Ohlensehlen said the proposal is for a political subdivision with a five-member board, four of whom can be real property or business owners in the district and the other a Springfield registered voter who does not have financial interest or involvement in any of the businesses in the district. The lifespan of the district is proposed for 27 years.

Projects to be supported include beautification, right-of-way improvements and security, with additional funds for professional service fees, Ohlensehlen said.

North Glenstone Avenue is the site of multiple hotels serving Springfield, and hospitality industry leaders are represented among the petitioners. Notably, for 13 of the parcels, petitions were signed by hotelier Gordon Elliott, while petitions for six parcels were signed by Darren Harralson, listed on a document as chief operating officer of O’Reilly Hospitality LLC.

The proposed directors for the district are owner representatives Harralson; Bill Hobbs, director of hotel operations of Elliott Properties Ltd.; and Missy Handyside, general manager of Oasis Hotel & Convention Center, tapped for four-year terms; Gary Leonard, retired from Steak ’n Shake franchise ownership, according to past Springfield Business Journal reporting, for a two-year term; and Cameron Casad, attorney and city representative, for a two-year term.

A five-year budget for the district was submitted with the council bill and shows projected sales tax revenues of $1.8 million-$2 million per year.

Year 1 revenue of $1.8 million would fund $1.6 million for security, $153,000 for beautification, and $50,000 each for professional costs and other services and improvements.

Business owners signing on were Value Properties of Springfield LLC with eight parcels; O’Reilly Hospitality LLC and Campus Inc. with three parcels each; EAS Investment Enterprises Inc. and Quality Lodging Prop Spfd LLC with two parcels each; and Coach House Properties LLC; Hog House LLC; C Store Land LLC; Greenstay Properties LLC; Anood Real Estate LLC; Diversity Commercial Investments LLC; RNR Investments LLC; Great Southern Bank; Wolverine Land Holdings LLC; Ohm TM Leadership Fund LLC; Glen-Kearney Development LLC; and UB Properties LLC, all with one parcel.

Among other businesses located in the proposed district are Kearney Street Aldi and Walmart stores.

Ohlensehlen said this would be the 22nd CID in the city, and she acknowledged that security expenses are infrequently included among CID expenditures, though that use is also present in the Downtown Springfield CID.

Representing property owners in the public hearing for the CID was Cory Collins, a partner in law firm Husch Blackwell LLP.

Collins said most of the city’s CIDs are designed to fund infrastructure improvements, but this one has an altruistic aim.

“Goals are security and beautification to generally create a more safe atmosphere in the area, cleaning up, hopefully, to transition into creating a very nice area,” he said.

He added that the district is the first impression for many people arriving from Interstate 44.

“Folks that come to town, one of the first places they see is North Glenstone, and we would like to make it look even better than it does today,” he said.

He added that all of the money would be paid by those using goods and services in the district and poured back into improvements in the district.

“We view this as a general win-win,” he said.

Mark Hecquet, president and CEO of tourism bureau Visit Springfield, Missouri, spoke in favor of the initiative and noted that on a daily basis, some 12,000 vehicles travel the route, amounting to 4.3 million visitors per year on the roadway.

“It is clearly one of Springfield’s front doors and a gateway from I-44 into our city,” he said.

He added that the corridor features 28 hotels, and 18 of those are clustered in the North Glenstone I-44 gateway; this includes two key convention and meeting hotels, the DoubleTree and the Oasis.

“Despite the strong lodging and entertainment offerings, the corridor suffers from aging landscape, inconsistent lighting and visible homelessness, creating a perception gap that impacts visitor confidence and hotel performance,” he said.

Hecquet added that the CID’s investments will ensure that the gateway will embody safety, vibrancy and community pride.

“This initiative will transform the corridor into a welcoming first impression for every visitor, supporting hotels, attractions and businesses while strengthening the sense of pride across our community,” he said.

SDBG funding
Council authorized the use of Federal Highway Administration Surface Development Block Grant and Carbon Reduction Program funds through the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission for five transportation-related programs throughout the city.

The grants require a 20% match.

Funding was approved for the following:

• $400,000 grant for right-of-way acquisition for future street, bicycle, pedestrian and stormwater improvements on Kansas Avenue from Walnut Lawn to Maplewood Street, with a total project cost estimate of $500,000
• $744,000 grant to make Americans with Disabilities Act improvements to various streets being resurfaced throughout the city, with a total project cost estimate of $930,000
• $2.7 million grant for right-of-way acquisition costs associated with a multiuse side path to extend the Fassnight Creek Greenway Trail along Bennett Street from Glenstone to Enterprise Avenue, with a total project cost estimate of $3.3 million
• $880,000 for right-of-way acquisition costs associated with future street, bicycle, pedestrian and stormwater improvements on Fremont Avenue from Erie to Independence Street, with a total project cost estimate of $1.1 million
• $546,000 to replace 96 school flasher beacons at various locations throughout the city, with a total project cost estimate of $682,000

Other action items:

• Council considered a $251,000 bump to the fiscal 2026 budget of Visit Springfield, Missouri, with a projected increase of about $150,000 in room tax revenue. Hecquet told council the city’s occupancy rate is up 7.3% and its average daily rate is up 4.3%, resulting in a 10% increase in revenue. On the short-term rental side, Hecquet said there is a marked reduction in the supply of short-term rentals of about 17.8% and in projected annual revenue from short-term rentals, down by 2.6%. Other additional revenue comes from increased advertising sales. A vote is set for Feb. 9.
• Funds from the city’s Clean Water Enterprise Fund were allocated for the construction of the Oscar Blom Streambank Stabilization Project in the amount of $900,000; for trunkline sewer replacement over a portion of the Ozarks Technical Community College campus, $500,000; and for construction of the South Dry Sac Streambank Stabilization Project, $700,000.
• Council approved an intergovernmental agreement for the Springfield Police Department to participate in the U.S. Marshals Service Regional Fugitive Task Force. Participants wear body-worn cameras, and the force, which is not associated with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, pursues people who have warrants for violent, sexual or drug-related crimes, according to the staff report.