Meridian and Lauderdale County moved one step closer to building a sportsplex Thursday as a bill authored by Rep. Billy Adam Calvert was approved by the House and sent over to the Senate for consideration. The bill, which was introduced with the support of Lauderdale County supervisors, creates a $5 tax on hotel room stays to fund the sportsplex creation.

An identical bill was introduced by Sen. Jeff Tate in the Senate and is pending in committee.

Legislation alone, however, is not enough to make the sportsplex a reality, and following what we hope will be the Senate’s passage of the bill, Lauderdale County voters will need to approve the idea on the November ballot before the tax can go into effect.

While the intentions are good and the proposed funding mechanism fiscally sound, more questions will need to be answered before voters head to the ballot box.

Elected and appointed officials from Lauderdale County, Meridian and Marion all support the creation of a sportsplex citing the economic stimulus travel ball tournaments, State Games competitions and other large scale athletic events have on local communities. Many Lauderdale County children compete in these travel leagues, and parents, which include several elected officials, know full well the financial windfall they’re leaving in other Mississippi towns.

How will that money be used if and when it comes to Meridian and Lauderdale County? Who will be in charge of deciding how it gets spent?

The proposed hotel tax, which will require 60% of the vote to pass, will apply to hotels and motels in both the Meridian city limits and Lauderdale County, but as Tate pointed out at a recent Council of Governments meeting, there aren’t any hotels outside the city limits. What say, if any, will city leaders have in the sportsplex project? What about Marion officials?

At the same time, both municipalities stand to benefit from increased sales tax collections from the influx of visitors. Families will eat at local restaurants, shop in local stores and buy gas at local gas stations, all of which will put more money in Meridian’s and Marion’s coffers. Lauderdale County, however, does not receive sales tax, and county voters could end up paying the bill for a sportsplex while their neighbors reap the benefits.

The ballot question, if passed by the Legislature, will be asked of voters countywide, including those in Meridian and Marion. Voters in the county and both municipalities deserve to know the plan, however loosely it is written, of how the tax they are being asked to implement will be spent and what stake each of the three governments has in making sure it is spent correctly.

Where will the sportsplex be located? Who will be responsible for its upkeep? Security? Marketing? Traffic control?

The list goes on.

There is little doubt that building a sportsplex will be transformative for our area, and making that dream become a reality is going to require a joint effort from everyone from small business owners to state legislators. When it comes to government, however, the sportsplex is about money, and governments don’t always share well when money is on the line.

Assuming the Senate passes Rep. Calvert’s bill, and we sincerely hope it does, Lauderdale County voters will need a lot more information than they have now to make an informed choice in November.