Airport advisory board meeting, expected to discuss hotel tax increase

Columbia’s Airport Advisory Board was expected to meet Wednesday afternoon at City Hall. But the meeting was canceled last week.

The agenda included presentations from Glyn Laverick and Greg Steinhoff. The presentation were expected to be about the hotel tax increase that will be on the Columbia ballot in August.

The hotel tax increase on the August ballot will raise the hotel lodging tax from the current four percent to five percent.

Laverick is the owner of Downtown Columbia’s Tiger Hotel. He is also the president of the Columbia Missouri Hospitality Association. Laverick has told ABC 17 News in the past the CHA is not on board with the tax increase “unless the city comes forward with a specific financial plan on how it will use the money for business operations”.

Greg Steinhoff is the President of Strategic Operations for Veterans United Home Loans. He is also a prominent business leader and longtime airport booster. He has said in the past, expanding the Columbia Airport will ideally persuade people to use Columbia’s airport rather than Kansas City or St. Louis.