Updated: Springfield voters reject convention center tax

For the second time in five months, Springfield voters have rejected a tax to fund a downtown convention and events center.

Unofficial results from the Greene County clerk’s office show the measure failed 58%-42%, with vote totals of 7,511-5,468.

City officials acknowledged the loss early, after 51 of 58 precincts were reported. At that time, the same 58%-42% losing result was reflected in totals.

The ballot measure proposed an additional 3% tax on stays at hotels, motels and short-term rentals in the city. The key difference between the November 2025 ballot measure and this one was the addition of a 35-year sunset in the current go-round. Additionally, city officials released initial architectural renderings of the proposed center and revealed a location for its construction.

Greene County Clerk Shane Schoeller estimated that 11% of the county’s 161,615 registered voters turned out to vote for issues countywide, though only residents of Springfield were eligible to vote on the tax measure.

As votes were coming in and the failure of the tax issue appeared likely, Springfield City Manager David Cameron said while City Council is the body with the final say, he would not recommend that the city pursue it again. The fact that $30 million in state funding was on the table was a key factor in the quick return to the ballot, he added.

Cameron said the proceeds from the 3% tax were necessary to cover the $145 million in debt service for the $175 million project, and without the tax revenue, there is no path forward for a convention center.

“There is no funding mechanism other than this opportunity, so it would not be coming back up,” he said.

Financial plan
City officials projected that the 3% lodging tax would generate just under $4.9 million in its first year, 2027. Additionally, 4% growth was predicted each year to follow, culminating at $21 million in its 35th year, 2061, for total proceeds of $407 million over its lifetime, according to past Springfield Business Journal reporting. The historical growth rate for the city’s lodging tax has sat around 5% per year over the last 20 years.

The convention center project cost had a hard cap of $175 million, according to Cameron, or $205 million if the state were to kick in a $30 million allocation that was withheld from the state budget by Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe. A $30 million allocation was previously approved for the center from the city’s Spring Forward SGF sales tax.

Cameron said last night that the $30 million from the Spring Forward SGF tax would go back to the Citizens Advisory Board, which advises council on those tax expenditures, to recommend how it will be redistributed. SBJ is seeking comment from the governor’s office on its plans for the $30 million in restricted funds meant for the convention center project.

The city anticipated taking on $145 million in debt, with 30-year debt service climbing from a 2027 level of $3.7 million through a 2057 level of $13.7 million, according to past SBJ reporting.

Separate from the convention center, a report by Chicago-based Hunden Strategic Partners Inc., commissioned by the city, said a connected 400-room hotel is a necessary component of the convention center and would cost a private developer an estimated $209 million. While area developers noted interest in the project to SBJ, the hotel planning – at least publicly – was dependent upon the election results.

Greene County Clerk Schoeller said Springfield’s cost for the April election is an estimated $236,812, and the countywide cost of the election for all entities, including Springfield, is $407,379.

For initial phase design work by Kansas City-based architectural firm Populous Inc., working with Sapp Design Associates Architects Inc., the city’s contract price was in the range of $300,000-$400,000, according to past SBJ reporting.

Community feedback
In a video message shared on the city of Springfield's Facebook page in the hours after the election, Mayor Jeff Schrag thanked residents for showing up to vote.

"Your voices were heard, and the outcome of the vote is clear, and we respect the will of the voters," he said. "While this proposal will not move forward, our next steps will be to take what we have heard and really focus on the priorities of City Council as reflected by our residents."

Cameron said there has been a lot of reward to learning about the community’s needs and values in conversations leading up to the election.

“We’re going to start that process; we’re going to roll out the things that we’re also working on that the citizens told me that they would like for us to be focused on and this council has decided it’s also supported in their five priorities,” he said.

Turnout in yesterday’s election was slightly higher than in the previous bid for funding.

In a failed first attempt at a 3% lodging tax in November 2025, only 7% of registered voters participated in the election, and 52% of them rejected the measure.


Campaign and education effort
Three political action committees participated in an effort to persuade voters to support the tax measure.

Friends of SGF, the Springfield Central Labor Council Committee on Political Education and the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce Committee for the Future jointly spent just shy of $100,000, according to reports filed with the Missouri Ethics Commission.

Additionally, the city of Springfield and Visit Springfield, Missouri, mounted education campaigns that officials described as informative in nature. The two entities jointly spent over $20,000 on mailers, television spots and other education-related expenses.

In an interview prior to the election, Gordon Elliott, treasurer for both the Friends of SGF and Committee for the Future PACs and CEO of Elliott Lodging Ltd., expressed optimism.

Reached today, he shared his disappointment.

“I’m disappointed, but I understand that if you get an answer, you can’t run a second chance at it five months later,” he said.

Like Cameron, Elliott said the quick second attempt was due to the fact that $30 million in state budget funding was on the table with a requirement that it be spent in the current fiscal year. According to Elliott, it would have been foolhardy not to try to secure the funds.

Unlike Cameron, Elliott said a future attempt at a convention center is not out of the question, though it won’t happen soon.

“I don’t think it’s out of the question,” he said, adding that a convention center has been talked about in the city for at least 40 years.

He added that he had seen the rendering of the proposed design and wasn’t sure that the scope was necessary.

“It may be the convention center that we get might be a little simpler,” he said. “We need a convention center that we’ve never had. Everyone else is putting one in, and that’s the key to it. We don’t want to be left behind.”

Asked if a private developer could head up a convention center project, the hotelier said no.

“There’s a certain amount of losses that come with all the expenses, and the city’s got to be involved, because the city makes it back through revenue,” he said. “An individual private developer couldn’t cover the losses.”

Marshall Kinne, one of the organizers of the Friends of SGF PAC, offered a statement on behalf of the organization, noting that the election results were not what the group had hoped for, but expressing gratitude to community leaders, business leaders, labor organizations and public safety professionals who came together to support the effort.

“This campaign was built around an opportunity to create jobs, attract investment and strengthen our local economy,” Kinne said.

He expressed gratitude to voters who learned about the proposal and participated in the process.

“Springfield is a strong and growing community, and we remain committed to working together on opportunities that move our city forward,” Kinne said.

An opposition effort to the tax was mounted by Springfield Tenants Unite, which organizes for renters’ rights locally. Members were spotted by SBJ while they canvassed in the University Heights neighborhood Monday night.

A statement from member Daniel Behlmann, who led the STUN effort, said it is dedicated to improving local housing and fighting for tenants across the city.

“Voters approved the Spring Forward tax for neighborhoods, parks and streets, not a convention center,” the statement said. “We are hopeful that our municipal representatives will prioritize allocating our money to improving the lives of working families.”

A STUN representative said the organization spent less than $400 on its materials, with members and leaders spending their personal money on snacks and drinks for the effort.


Next steps
Cameron said the city had participated in 99 engagements in the lead-up to the election, and he thanked council members and city staff for getting information out to the public.

Asked to describe his feelings on the election outcome shortly after unofficial results showed the tax had been defeated, Cameron was reflective.

“You want what you believe is best for your community, but I believe that’s listening to what the voters have to say about it,” he said. “This is how I feel I’m called to lead and manage the city based upon what I’m given to manage, and if the voters have said no in that capacity to the project, that’s saying to me to go to work even more so on the five priorities that the council’s identified.”

Although a convention center has been talked about for decades in the city, listening sessions demonstrated that issues of more immediate concern include public safety, animal control, noise, sewers and roads, Cameron said.

“What I hear in the vote is the same thing that I heard in those listening sessions: We want you to focus on the core functions that serve us first,” he said.

The city has announced an upcoming community discussion series to be conducted by Schrag, with the first set for 5:30-7 p.m. April 17 at Northview Center, 305 E. Talmage St. That session will focus on Tom Watkins, Woodland Heights, Robberson and Doling neighborhoods, according to the announcement.

Called the Mayor’s Community Conversation series, events will be held for Springfield’s other 20 registered neighborhoods, the announcement said, with details to be released when they are available.