The Dallas City Council today is scheduled to vote today on a method to fund a new convention center along with repairs to several buildings at Fair Park.
The initial vote on building a replacement for the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center passed earlier this year, with only Council Member Cara Mendelsohn voting against it.
State law allows the City of Dallas to impose a new 2% hotel and motel tax and dedicate those revenues to specific projects. The city estimates that would generate $1.5 billion over the next 30 years. The largest portion of the money would go to the convention center, but some funds would also be allocated for repairs or improvements at several Fair Park structures. Those would include the Cotton Bowl, the Automotive Building, the Band Shell, the Music Hall and the Coliseum.
Once the additional hotel and motel tax is approved by the City Council, it will then need approval from the public. The proposal will likely be on the ballot on November 8th.
Groups representing downtown business owners, the tourism industry and Fair Park have all announced their support for the proposal. Downtown Dallas, Inc., VisitDallas and Fair Park First issued a public letter to the City Council ahead of today’s vote.
“This is a once-in-a-generation chance to complete upgrades to critical Dallas venues and facilities without any sales or property tax increases on Dallas residents. This financial decision impacts visitors to our city; not our residents,” they wrote. “We pledge to work with you to educate and inform voters to ensure passage of this critical ballot initiative.”
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