SIKESTON, MINER VOTERS TO CONSIDER TOURISM TAX

The citizens of Miner and Sikeston have an opportunity to bring in more than $200,000 a year in revenue to their community, without spending one cent of their own money.

At least that's how Steve McPheeter, director of the Sikeston Area Chamber of Commerce (SACC), views a tourism tax that both Sikeston and Miner have on the August ballot.

McPheeter said the tax, which would be a 4-percent add-on to the cost of renting a hotel room, could bring in between $225,000 to $300,000 to fuel a cooperative effort within the county to increase regional tourism. The SACC has proposed a regional tourism group, called the Miner/Sikeston Tourism Council, that would utilize the funds to advertise the tourist venues in the county and develop additional tourist attractions.

"This would enable us to create more events," McPheeter said. "We have more than 650 hotel rooms in the area. And with the factory outlet stores in Miner and Sikeston, we already have people stopping and spending the night."

According to the SACC, tourism is the second largest industry in Missouri, accounting for 11 percent of the state's jobs. Tourists brought in approximately $20.6 million dollars to Scott County in 1994, according to the U.S. Travel Center.

McPheeter said Scott County's 4-percent hotel tax is different than those in most areas, which have a 3-percent tax on hotel rooms and a 1-percent tax on restaurants. A hotel tax, he said, would have the least impact on Scott County residents.

Guy Jenkins, general manager of the Ramada Inn of Sikeston, agrees.

"It's not going to raise taxes for the people of Scott County," he said. "The only time you will get taxed is if you spend the night at a hotel. And how often do you spend the night in a hotel in your own home town?"

Jenkins is a supporter of the tax, and said the increase in rates at his hotel would be barely noticeable.

"You're talking about 4 cents on the dollar," he said. "So if a hotel room costs $50 a night, you're talking about another $2. You're not really going to be able to tell that much of a difference.

"I hope it passes."

Mary Miller, the director of the Cape Girardeau Convention and Visitor's Bureau, said Cape Girardeau's tourism tax has been "extremely successful for the community."

"The original intent of the tourism tax back in 1984 was to retire the city's bond indebtedness on the Show Me Center," Miller said. "We were able to do that and now the city has been able to fund the construction of Shawnee Park and Osage Park" at a cost of $4 million.

Cape Girardeau brings in about $800,000 a year in revenue from its tourism tax, which is 3 percent on hotel rooms and 1 percent on restaurants, Miller said.

John Richbourg, finance director for the city of Cape Girardeau, said the city received $307,000 from the hotel/motel tax and $540,000 from the restaurant tax last year.

"That amount is kind of stagnant from the year before," Richbourg said. "It usually grows at about 10 percent per year."

McPheeter said there has been widespread support for the tax and he has heard of no opposition.