Tax hike approved for hotels, restaurants

RIDGELAND — A referendum to tax hotels and restaurants to fund Freedom Ridge Park improvements passed in Tuesday’s municipal election, according to complete but unofficial returns.

Ridgeland Mayor Gene F. McGee said he was “excited” to see the referendum pass.

“I think this will be a tremendous asset to the city of Ridgeland and Madison County,” McGee said.

The referendum proposes a temporary 2 percent tax increase on hotels and a 1 percent tax increase on restaurants within the city limits. The proposed tax increase will dissolve once the project is fully funded.

Voters were asked to vote “for” or “against” the tax.

The referendum passed with 74.25 percent of the vote according to the complete but unofficial results. It needed a total of 60 percent of the vote to pass. 

Ridgeland voters voted 1,364 votes for the tax and 473 votes against it for a total of 1,895 votes. 

The unofficial results suggest that everyone who voted in the municipal election on Tuesday cast a vote for or against the referendum.

“I think the results show our citizens have a vision for the future of the city,” McGee said,” McGee said. 

The proposed expansion would roughly double the park’s size. Specific amenities include pickleball courts, soccer fields, and baseball fields.

This was the city’s second attempt to pass the item. The vote fell just short of the required 60 percent of the vote with 56.1 percent during the Presidential Election in November. The referendum required approval form the legislature as well.

The project is currently estimated to cost around $50 million dollars, but city officials have said they will not know a final price until they are able to enter the design phase of the project.

McGee said they hoped to have the tax in place by Oct. 1. Then the city can engage engineers and architects to design the expansion.

‘Then we will go from there,” McGee said.

The proposed expansion includes the addition of several new amenities, including:

• Lit pickleball courts

• Regulation baseball/softball fields – accommodating up to 100 teams per weekend

• New batting cages with artificial turf

• Officials’ Headquarters

• Full-size artificial turf soccer fields for ages six through adult

• Festival and special events area

• Multi-use trails connecting with Ridgeland’s existing trail system

• Playgrounds

• Pavilions available for rent

• Additional restrooms