Springfield tourism officials push for increase in city’s hotel and motel tax

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (KY3) - Officials with the Springfield Convention and Visitor’s Bureau want the city’s hotel and motel tax to increase.

Tourism officials say the city’s current hotel and motel tax isn’t enough. They want it raised from 5% up to 7.5%.

The city’s hotel and motel tax was a legislative priority from recent Springfield City Council meetings.

For the past four years, Springfield city officials have been trying to raise the tax to similar rates to St. Louis and Kansas City. The money would be used to build new sports facilities. However, the state has been shutting down the requests.

City officials said if the the state would approve of a tax increase, then it would go to a vote through the public.

Springfield Convention and Visitor’s Bureau President and CEO, Tracy Kimberlin, said he doesn’t understand how the state won’t let them increase this tax to improve their sporting events.

“Well, it’s frustrating,” said Kimberlin. “It puts us in an unfair advantage. We can’t build the facilities that they have built with their increases because we don’t have that funding source. So, it frankly, it isn’t fair.”

Kimberlin said the current facilities are getting old. The city wants to keep adding events, so hotels can get customers.

But Madalyn Faucett, the general manager of the Walnut Street Inn, a family-owned bed & breakfast, said a tax increase could hurt their business.

“It is a bit alarming,” said Faucett. “Increasing it on top of what we’re already experiencing, the effects of COVID and how that might be affecting the lodging community. It just seems a bit ill-time to raise the taxes for it.”

Faucett said it would be another obstacle for her business.

“As a locally-owned family business, every little cent counts. Every nickel and dime really matters,” said Faucett. “So that would just be another thing that we have to find a way to overcome.”

Kimberlin said a tax increase would benefit all lodging businesses in Springfield.

“From the standpoint of sports, I think all of the hotels benefit from sports,” said Kimberlin. “The sports people they have come and painted vans and uniforms, and most of them are kids. Although we do a lot of adult tournaments as well, but they’re very recognizable.”

Kimberlin also said this tax would affect businesses in Springfield, and only customers of hotels and motels, not the entire public.

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