On Wednesday, Dallas City Council approved a resolution that will ask voters to approve a hotel tax hike to pay for renovations to Fair Park and expand the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center.
If approved by voters, the resolution would increase the city’s hotel occupancy tax by 2% and would distribute $250 million to renovate six venues in Fair Park. It would also give the city $50 million to tear down and rebuild the Kay Bailey Hutchinson Convention Center.
The Dallas convention center is named for former Texas senator Kay Bailey Hutchison, who spoke to the council today in favor of expansion.
"I'm for this expansion because I know what the competition is like. I know that the competition for conventions is heavy from other coasts and as well as even from Texas. And we need to be competitive" Hutchison said. "We want more visitors to come to our city. And when we have conventions, then people come back and bring their families because we have so much to do and we're such a great city."
80% of the increase in hotel occupancy tax dollars would go to the convention center redo, which is priced at $2 billion. 20% would go to Fair Park.
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