A 3% increase in Springfield's hotel/motel license tax to help fund a new convention and event center downtown was turned down by voters Tuesday. The unofficial tally with 50 of 51 precincts reporting was 3,545 for and 3,927 against.
That funding piece was one of a few that would have been needed for the estimated $175 million project to be realized. Others included a ½-cent sales tax approved by voters last November and reallocation of existing hotel/motel tax revenues as well as additional public-private partnerships. Another important piece was $30 million that was withheld in the state budget pending a $30 million local match.
Springfield City Manager David Cameron said the ballot measure was "a material piece for the project to move forward."
He said "it was also a big piece for us when it came to the governor's $30 million that has been on hold just to see how we would respond towards this event center moving forward."
Cameron said the City of Springfield has been hoping to move forward with a new convention center for nearly three decades. It's needed, he said, in order for money to come to Springfield instead of other cities that have such facilities. And he said it would have helped in "activating our downtown."
He's not sure where they'll go from here.
"You've got to hit the pause button and go back and evaluate. Is there an option? This was a — this is a material piece of the puzzle."
They'll regroup, he said, and look at ways to keep the $30 million in state funding in play. There's "a lot to be discussed," he said.
Mayor Jeff Schrag isn't sure yet what the path will be going forward — whether it will be something different or some other way of funding the convention and event center, he said. "But we'll take a good look at everything and be very transparent with the public on what we find."
While the vote didn't go the way he'd hoped, Cameron respects the will of the people.
"Tonight, the people spoke, and I'm always going to respect that outcome no matter what."
"As we come up on Veterans Day, that's where our veterans fought for us to have, is just those freedoms to have a voice. And I respect that voice."
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