Expo Center officials hope that a countywide increase in the hotel/motel occupancy tax will help pay for a new 150,000-square-foot building for livestock and equestrian events, plus RV hookups that could accommodate 298 vehicles.
The plan to expand is not new, said Tim Stephens, executive director of the Expo Center. It was first presented in 2003 at a price tag of $14 million. If officials can find the funding, the addition would be built on 40 acres west of the current complex.
Precinct 4 County Commissioner John Fisher said the county would have had to raise taxes to pay for the project, so it never moved forward.
