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Council approves $8,000 HOT fund sponsorship for SMSD Region 4 Texas Scholastic Esports qualifier
Summary
The council approved using Hospitality Occupancy Tax (HOT) funds to co-sponsor Stafford Municipal School District's Region 4 Texas Scholastic Esports Federation qualifier in April 2026, with staff and trustees saying the event will draw hundreds and fill hotel rooms.
The Stafford City Council on June 18 approved an $8,000 hospitality-occupancy-tax (HOT) fund contribution to co-sponsor the Stafford Municipal School District-hosted Region 4 Texas Scholastic Esports Federation qualifier scheduled for April 2026.
Councilwoman Rosas introduced the item, noting the event will attract students, families and teams from across the region and that hosting the qualifier in Stafford would likely result in overnight stays and other economic activity. School officials and trustees described the district's esports program, said it now receives credit and extracurricular recognition through the Texas Association (TA) and reported the district expects 300'400 students from some 50 schools to attend the two-day regional qualifying event.
District and school-board representatives said Stafford hosting a regional esports qualifier would be the first such event in Fort Bend County and described opportunities for local hotels, restaurants and the Stafford hospitality economy. The council discussed using HOT funds for events that bring visitors and economic activity to the city and confirmed such use was consistent with the intended purpose of HOT funding.
A council member moved to approve the HOT funding amount presented in the packet ($8,000); the motion passed. Council members said they hoped the event would grow and bring future similar competitions to Stafford, increasing hotel occupancy and local business activity.
Staff said the school district will begin planning and that city staff would work with the district to coordinate logistics; the meeting packet included an estimated event budget and a request from the district.
