Mayor Bob McDavid says he now has secured $3 million in pledges to attract a new airline to the Columbia Regional Airport. Roughly half of the money comes from the city. The rest is from private business interests, the Boone County Commission and MU.
McDavid says the new destinations will be big boost for businesses in Columbia, but also for people connected to the University of Missouri
A new report shows Columbia could seek voter approval to raise the hotel tax to pay for a new terminal at Columbia Regional Airport.
Cities like Columbia are authorized to impose a hotel tax of up to 7 percent to fund the "promotion, operation and development of tourism." The report also says the city could also legally levy a fee on each occupied hotel room. Kansas City has such a fee, charging hotels and motels $1.50 per occupied room.