Jefferson County voters will see a 5 percent hotel-motel tax proposal on the Aug. 4 ballot.
The Jefferson County Council voted on Sept. 22, 2025, to place the proposal on the August ballot, called Proposition T.
A hotel-motel tax, also called a bed tax or a transient tax, targets visitors or travelers, charging them the tax when they stay at a hotel or motel in the city or county that collects the tax revenue. St. Charles County, for example, collects a 5 percent tax charged on room fees at hotels and motels in that county; St. Louis County has two fees on lodging facilities – a 3.75 percent convention and tourism tax benefitting the Convention and Visitors Commission, and a 3.5 percent convention and sports tax used to pay for tourism infrastructure, such as the Dome at America’s Center.
Councilman Scott Seek (District 5, Festus) proposed the tax measure and said the proceeds would go to the Jefferson County Tourism Commission, the county’s Destination Marketing Organization for tourism marketing. Seek vacated his seat in January, and the council appointed Tim Bennett of Festus to the seat in March.
As the county’s DMO, the commission is eligible for matching grants from the Missouri Division of Tourism. The money can be used on billboards, radio and TV ads and geofencing that promotes Jefferson County tourism.
In three years, the county’s DMO has helped bring in $290,000 in state matching grants, supporting marketing, events and visitor outreach, according to the commission.
The commission states Prop T would help “unlock” larger matching grants, support local businesses and attractions and reduce reliance on county general revenue.
“For more than five years, the Jefferson County Tourism Commission has established a strong foundation for increasing tourism in our area,” the commission stated. “The bed tax will provide permanent funding, allowing us to continue our efforts in promoting the unique attractions of Jefferson County.”
The ballot language reads, “Shall Jefferson County, Missouri, levy a tax of 5 percent on each sleeping room occupied and rented by ‘transient guests,’ (person or persons who occupy a room or rooms for 31 days or less, as defined by RSMo. 67.1000), of ‘hotels and motels’ (defined as an establishment that provides lodging and/or parking or rooms that are accessible to an outdoor parking area, provides meals, entertainment and various personal services for the public to include but not limited to hotels, motels, bed and breakfasts, inns and commercially operated short-term rentals such as vacation homes, condominiums or rooms listed on platforms like Airbnb or VRBO, etc.,) located in Jefferson County to exclude any hotel and motel in any municipality within the county that already imposes a transient tax under RSMo. 67.1000, or any other transient tax under Missouri law, where proceeds of which shall be extended solely for funding a convention and visitors bureau?”
Arnold, Pevely and Festus are the only cities in the county that currently impose a bed tax on hotels and motels.
The measure would require a simple majority vote from Jefferson County residents for approval. Residents of Arnold, Pevely and Festus will not vote on the measure because Missouri state statutes do not allow for the stacking of bed taxes.
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