Investing in Infrastructure That Serves Everyone

Originally Posted On: https://www.springfieldmo.org/blog/post/investing-in-infrastructure-that-serves-everyone/

Infrastructure has a way of quietly shaping everything around it. Roads determine where neighborhoods develop. Broadband determines where businesses locate. Water and sewer capacity determine where growth is even possible. And convention facilities determine whether a city is taken seriously as a destination for opportunity and investment.

Springfield is a city at a crossroads. Right now, it’s operating with convention and events infrastructure that doesn’t match its ambition — or its potential. The proposed Convention and Events Center is an opportunity to fix that, and to do it in a way that is fiscally responsible, community-driven, and built to serve Springfield for generations to come.

The Infrastructure Gap Is Real

Springfield’s current Expo Center has served the community faithfully for decades. But with approximately 45,000 square feet of space, it falls short of what modern conventions require. There are no dedicated ballrooms capable of handling large formal gatherings. There’s insufficient breakout room capacity for multi-track conferences. The flexibility that today’s event planners demand simply isn’t there.

The result is a city that cannot host modern events. This isn’t a perception problem. It’s a structural one, and it has a structural solution.

What the New Facility Would Look Like

The proposed Convention and Events Center would transform the existing downtown Expo Center into a modern, competitive facility. Key elements include:

• A 65,000-square-foot exhibition hall capable of handling large trade shows, concerts, conferences, and sporting events

• A new 30,000-square-foot ballroom suitable for galas, banquets, and large receptions

• A junior ballroom and dedicated meeting rooms for breakout sessions

• Access to existing downtown parking infrastructure

 

The proposed convention center would leverage existing city-owned property, and turn a vacant downtown location into a flourishing center of ideas and community spirit.

Infrastructure Funded by Visitors, Not Residents

Here’s what makes this investment unusual: Springfield residents don’t have to pay for it. The project is funded primarily through a 3% increase in the tourism (hotel/motel) tax — a tax paid only by overnight guests. The current lodging tax stands at 5%; the proposed increase would bring it to 8%, still competitive with comparable cities across the region.

The total project investment is capped at $175 million without state funding, with the potential to reach $205 million if the city secures a $30 million state appropriation currently on the table. The funding structure looks like this:

• Approximately $145 million in bonds, covered by the new 3% lodging tax

• $30 million from the voter-approved Spring Forward SGF ½-cent sales tax

• A potential $30 million state appropriation

No general fund dollars are required — not for construction, not for loan repayments, not for day-to-day operations. Existing lodging tax revenue, once prior bonds retire in 2028, will cover ongoing operations and maintenance. Residents get a world-class facility without a general tax increase.

Infrastructure That Funds Core Services

When visitors come to Springfield, they don’t just stay in hotels — they spend money throughout the city. Every dollar they spend at a local restaurant, shop, or entertainment venue generates sales tax revenue. That revenue funds the city services every Springfield resident uses every day: police and fire protection, road maintenance, parks, and public facilities.

The projected annual city tax revenue from this facility’s activity alone is approximately $2.5 million — about $6,800 per day. Over the course of the facility’s lifespan, that adds up to hundreds of millions of dollars flowing into the city’s budget, supporting the infrastructure and services that define quality of life in Springfield.

The Oklahoma City Blueprint

Springfield isn’t the first city to make this kind of decision, and other cities show how well this can work. Oklahoma City recently passed a hotel tax increase — from 5.5% to 9.25% — with approximately 66% voter support. The campaign’s central message mirrored Springfield’s: this tax is paid by visitors, not residents, and is essential to compete with top-tier cities. OKC’s funds are set aside for tourism promotion, major event sponsorships, and facility upgrades. The initiative passed decisively because residents understood that visitor investment is not a burden — it’s a tool for growth.

Springfield has the same opportunity. The tax rate on short-term stays is more modest than OKC’s, and the investment is targeted and specific. This is a tested model in cities across the country, and it works.

Infrastructure Is How Cities Signal Confidence

When a city invests in convention infrastructure, it sends a message to the rest of the world: we are open for business, we want to grow, and we have the facilities to back that up. It signals confidence to event planners, to hotel developers, to restaurant investors, to employers considering relocation, and to the young professionals deciding where to put down roots.

Springfield is ready to send that message. A modern Convention and Events Center is how you say it — clearly, loudly, and for generations to come.

Learn more at springfieldmo.org/inform