Council amends Memorial Hall MOU, adds alternate funding language and adjusts CVB advisory composition

The Joplin City Council amended and advanced a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Friends of Joplin Memorial Hall on Feb. 2, adding language that preserves the city’s option to pursue a local lodging license/fee (gross‑receipts approach under the city charter) if state enabling legislation is not available, and modifying CVB advisory board language to reflect a hotel/motel industry majority.

Manager Edwards briefed the council on the process leading to the MOU: an RFP solicited salvage proposals for Memorial Hall and yielded a response from the Friends group, following which the CVB advisory board reviewed the Friends’ proposal and discussed an MOU provision (item 4) that would require board restructuring as a condition of implementation. CVB representatives testified that board votes had been split and urged careful handling of any structural change.

Council debate focused on several points: whether tying board restructuring to a lodging‑tax measure was appropriate, how board seats should be allocated, the risk of excluding certain jurisdictions or stakeholders, and whether the council could secure revenue under its charter as an alternate route. City legal staff cited Springfield’s recent use of a charter‑based gross receipts approach as a precedent the city could study; the council added explicit alternate language to the MOU to preserve that option.

A council motion amended section 4(a) of the MOU to require a simple majority of CVB seats to be held by hotel/motel industry members, described in debate as a 57% majority to reflect earlier historic ratios discussed in the CVB’s records. After votes on the amendment and the amended MOU, the council advanced the agreement to 3rd reading (the motion carried on the amended bill; reported tally: majority in favor, with one recorded opposition during later votes).

What it means: The changes preserve the city’s flexibility to pursue local licensing mechanisms for lodging revenue if state action stalls, while addressing the hotel industry’s request for a stronger advisory role in directing lodging tax funds. The council’s amendment effectively prioritizes hotel representation on the advisory board, a point CVB members and some councilors said was consistent with the tax’s origins but which other council members said raises concerns about balance and transparency.

Next steps: The MOU will proceed to final readings and any related ballot language, charter analysis, or legislative outreach will follow staff and council direction.