April 4 election: What to know about the Springfield ballot questions

Andrew Sullender, Springfield News-Leader
·4 min read

When Springfield voters go to the polls April 4, they will be asked to answer three questions put on the ballot by City Council. Two of the questions would make changes to the City Charter, while the third consolidates and makes permanent the city's hotel/motel tax.

Below is the ballot language and what each question means in layman's terms.

Voters in the Springfield Public School District will likewise be asked to approve Proposition S, a $220 million bond issue for the district.

Question 1

Shall Sections 3.3, 6.1, 6.2, 6.5, 6.6, and 6.7 of the Springfield City Charter be amended to change the word "personnel" to the phrase "human resources," authorize the city manager to allow the director of human resources to remove some types of non-regular employees, revise the list of positions in the unclassified service to add some positions and remove others, add provisions related to employee reinstatement and promotion, expand the application of the veterans' preference to all veterans of the United States armed forces who served active duty and were honorably discharged, and revise the provision authorizing a five-point veterans' preference to a requirement to provide a reasonable veterans' preference?

This ballot measure would make a series of changes related to city human resources and employee issues — many of which the city has described as housekeeping in nature, including changing the city's "Department of Personnel" to the "Department of Human Resources" and clarifying and revising the list of positions within the city.

Other changes included in the ballot measure are more substantive. One would expand the city's preference for hiring veterans. The city currently gives a preference to veterans who served "in the time of war or any expedition" and were honorably discharged. If approved, this would expand to all veterans who were honorably discharged.

Veterans are also given a specific point-based preference. The revised charter would allow a "reasonable preference" to be given.

Another personnel change included in the measure would be to authorize the city manager to delegate authority to approve the removal of non-regular categories of employees to the director of human resources. The charter currently requires the city manager to approve all such removals, even including temporary and seasonal employees.

It would also address "protocols for former employees requesting reinstatement to their former position and provides a possible option for the Director of Human Resources to waive a competitive testing requirement when they seek reinstatement in less than one year."

If approved by voters in April, the measure would immediately go into effect.

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Question 2

Shall Section 2.16(25) of the Springfield City Charter be amended to authorize that an ordinance approving acceptance of a bid and entry into contract with the successful bidder may be passed at the City Council meeting at which it is introduced?

When a bill comes before City Council, it typically takes two readings at two different meetings before it can be voted on. Exceptions to this rule include nonbinding resolutions and emergency bills.

The proposed ballot measure would allow for bills that contract agencies for the city or contract the city with other entities to be voted on within one reading. According to the ordinance approving the ballot measure, the current two-week window drives up costs and makes it difficult to work with the most competitive bidders.

Under the proposed change such bills would still be allowed to have two readings, at the discretion of the city. If approved by voters in April, the measure would immediately go into effect.

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Question 3

Shall the City of Springfield, Missouri:

  • Repeal the existing five percent license tax (which includes a minimum license tax of $5.00 per monthly license imposed on the business of renting, leasing, or letting living quarters, sleeping accommodations, rooms, or a part thereof, in connection with any hotel, motel or tourist court, of which two and one-half percent will end upon the repayment of debt issued for the Jordan Valley park projects; and

  • Replace it with a five percent license tax, to be effective on July 1, 2023, imposed on the business of renting, leasing, or letting living quarters, sleeping accommodations, rooms, or a part thereof, in connection with any hotel, motel, tourist court, or short-term rental, derived from or paid by transient guests for sleeping accommodations, and to be allocated as follows for the benefit of the local economy:

    • Forty-seven percent of tax proceed used to promote travel and tourism,

    • Four and one-half percent of tax proceeds used to attract and host sporting events,

    • Four and one-half percent of tax proceeds used to support the arts and cultural tourism, and

    • The balance of tax proceeds used to pay debt service for bonds issued under the prior license tax and to fund capital improvements, including by issuing and paying debt service for bonds, to attract travel and tourism.

The city currently levies three layers of a license tax for hotels, motels, and tourist courts. These include a 1979 tax based on gross receipts, a 1998 tax funding Jordan Valley Park projects and related debt service, and a 2004 tax intended to fund efforts to attract sporting events and conventions and to retain a tourist information center. This last voter-approved measure increased the hotel/motel licensing tax to 5%.

The proposed ballot measure would repeal the three layers of taxes and replace them with a consolidated licensing tax at the same rate of 5% of gross receipts on hotels, motels, and tourist courts. If approved, the tax would also apply to short-term rentals, which have become popular over the past decade with online services like Airbnb and Vrbo.

Revenue collected from the tax would go toward the following items:

  • 47% to promote travel and tourism

  • 4.5% to attract and host sporting events

  • 4.5% to support the arts and cultural tourism

The remainder would pay the debt service from the 1998 Jordan Valley funding, but when that is paid, the balance of those tax proceeds will be used to attract travel and tourism.

Unlike some of the previous voter-approved hotel/motel taxes, this consolidated rate would have no expiration date and would continue in perpetuity. Upon passage, the new licensing tax would become effective July 1, 2023.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Election 2023: Springfield ballot question voter guide