A hotel/motel tax could be on the November ballot. A local group is proposing this to fund a new multi-purpose event center.
The group aims to have a venue big enough to hold more than 6,000 people.
“We don’t have anything that would handle a large crowd. What we’re talking about is a venue that we don’t have right now that would take the place of the Coliseum,” said Randy Jordan, market president at Western Bank. “We don’t have anything that would handle a large crowd.”
This multi-event center would host dirt events, such as rodeos, monster truck shows and concerts.
The group hopes to get a vote on the November ballot.
“Using the city of Lubbock numbers, as of April 2018, a 2 percent increase would generate about $2.7 million a year,” Jordan said.
The possible sports and community venue tax would increase the current visitors tax from 13 to 15 percent.
County Commissioner Patti Jones would support the measure.
“I think that’s something that will have to be reiterated all the way through,” said Patti Jones, commissioner of Precinct 4. “But this is not a property tax increase. We are not asking the citizens to take more money out of their pockets. This is for the visitors that come to Lubbock paying for this facility.”
However, there is still a lot of planning to be done. The design and total cost aren’t clear yet.
“We’re gonna be coming with a plan, we are gonna be coming with an amount, with the who, what, when and where in the next 30 to 45 days,” Jordan said. “I think it’ll be something for people to look at, drive by every day and be proud of.”
