SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — The City of Springfield will pursue an alternate funding plan for a new regional events and convention center after voters rejected a proposed 3% increase in the hotel-motel guest license tax, which includes short-term rentals such as Airbnb and VRBO.

The city had anticipated $60 million in funding for the project — $30 million from the state of Missouri and $30 million from the local ½-cent Spring Forward SGF sales tax revenue dedicated to transformative civic projects.

“We have a unique opportunity to leverage a possible $30 million in state funding, but those dollars are only available if we make significant progress by next spring,” City Manager David Cameron said in a news release. “That means we need to begin design and pre-construction work soon, so we can demon

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