Cape Girardeau weighs restaurant tax increase for sports expansion

FOX23 News at 9 p.m.

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. (KBSI) — A proposal to raise Cape Girardeau’s restaurant tax from 1% to 2% would help fund roughly $36.2 million in sports facility improvements, with supporters pointing to crowded practice fields and opportunities to attract more visiting teams.

The increase would add $1 to a $100 restaurant bill and require voter approval. Cape Girardeau Parks and Recreation Director Doug Gannon emphasizes that hotel taxes would not change.

“So the hotel tax is not being proposed to increase,” Gannon said. “It’s just the restaurant portion of the tax.”

The plan includes a $23 million SportsPlex expansion, an $11.75 million outdoor soccer complex with four artificial turf fields and $1,481,500 in Capaha Field improvements.

Existing indoor turf at the SportsPlex would become four basketball courts accommodating eight volleyball courts. A 92,000-square-foot addition would provide separate indoor turf space, allowing more events to take place simultaneously.

“So that facility could go from hosting one tournament to two to possibly three on a regular basis,” Recreation Division Manager Scott Williams said. “And we think that’s the next big step.”

For Nick Rapisado, vice president of SEMO Elite FC and a local business owner, the need extends beyond tournaments.

“We are at capacity already right now as far as club soccer goes as far as field space goes just for training alone,” Rapisado said.

The club had 528 players over the past year, including more than 200 from outside Cape Girardeau and Jackson, according to Rapisado. Weather cancellations, limited lighting and a shortage of fields restrict training opportunities. The club has also used high school turf fields for league matches requiring that surface.

A potential location for the outdoor complex along Veterans Memorial Drive is being explored with Cape Girardeau County, according to Gannon. Capaha Field improvements would include new turf, dugout work and other field-level amenities.

“This is just a great source of revenue for us to really implement and build and bring some nice facilities to Cape Girardeau that will literally bring thousands of people to this town,” Gannon said.

Regional competition is another factor behind the proposal. Williams points to facilities in surrounding states competing for the same teams, while Cape Girardeau works to retain existing tournaments and expand its soccer offerings.

Hosting those events gives local families opportunities to compete close to home while visiting teams spend money in the community.

“They love our hotels, they love our restaurants, they love our other things like Cape Splash and things we have to do in the community,” Williams said. “So it’s a win for every industry in town.”

When asked about research supporting the expansion, Williams points to a letter from Ballard King & Associates, the consulting firm involved in the original SportsPlex feasibility study in 2013–2014.

The firm describes attracting more teams as a reasonable expectation because of Cape Girardeau’s established tournament business. Additional courts and turf would diversify programming and allow multiple tournaments on the same weekend.

The consultants support the improvements while identifying funding and competition for market share as challenges. Their letter does not provide a specific forecast for additional hotel stays or visitor spending.

The existing restaurant tax helps pay for the SportsPlex and is nearing the end of its current cycle, according to Gannon. The proposal would renew that funding source at the higher rate.

Nothing has been approved. Public feedback will go to City Council, with discussions expected at its Nov. 2 and Nov. 9 meetings. If council advances the proposal, Gannon’s goal is an April 2027 public vote.

Residents can review the plans and provide feedback at two public input sessions:

• Monday, Oct. 26: 5–7 p.m. at the Osage Centre.
• Tuesday, Oct. 27: 5–7 p.m. at Shawnee Park Center.

For Rapisado, the choice comes down to whether Cape Girardeau invests in space to accommodate growing demand.

“The question is whether we will invest in the facilities to help us capture that growth or watch neighboring communities continue to pass us by,” he said.