At the Sept. 22 meeting, discussion bandied from auditorium renovations to accommodate CAPC offices by December, to more Aud shows with health precautions. Operation and Marketing Manager Molly Horton reported on the recent concert of Robert Earl Keen, saying that everything went smoothly with 685 tickets sold for a profit of $2,800.
Tourism Director Madison Dawson suggested using that money for renovations to the Aud offices, with examples of new flooring, better lighting and replacing window blinds. Commissioner Melissa Greene mentioned the need for inter-office partitions, and newly re-seated commissioner Patrick Burnett was quick to concur.
Commissioners generally agreed to the need for renovations with discussion of whether assigning the $2,800 profit from the concert would be the best start. Chair Jeff Carter reminded commissioners that it would not be long before all CAPC employees would be working down there.
The concert profit allocation was approved, with Burnett suggesting the commission discuss a greater office renovation budget at the next workshop.
Retiring Finance Director Rick Bright went over changes needed to the budget due to approvals during the Sept. 8 regular meeting including $63,500 for an in-house marketing plan in Q4, $20,000 for the Arts Council’s Festival of the Arts, and $35,000 for renovations for the chair lift. Bright also said that the Office Contingency line item was over budget and would need to be increased by $15,000 to cover expenses. That was approved unanimously.
Upcoming shows
Bear Morrison spoke about a possible Aud show in February, adding that he is promoting a show during Folk Festival where he is requiring vaccination cards or a negative covid test result to attend. He said that even with those requirements, he had sold 200 tickets with little social media promotion.
Morrison said he had an Americana artist interested in coming to NWA and wanted to secure her concert in Eureka Springs rather than Fayetteville. He was enthusiastic that he could have the show sold out for Friday and Saturday, Feb. 18 and 19, and was looking for promotional help or an OK from the CAPC. Dawson will work with Morrison to create a proposal for marketing support for the next meeting.
Procedure tops raises in significance
During agenda setting, commissioner James DeVito attempted to include a raise for the front house manager as an item for discussion. Greene seconded the addition to the agenda, but the item was swiftly shot down with Burnett abstaining, and Carol Wright, Harry Meyer, and Carter voting in the negative, prompting a “Wow,” from DeVito.
Wright and DeVito had differing recollections of the Aug. 25 meeting where the front house manager was rehired. Wright said she recalled they would keep the salary the same until the end of the year with DeVito saying that had not been discussed. The position pays $15 an hour. As a point of fact, commissioners had not discussed specifically when a raise would be discussed, only that it would be forthcoming.
The topic came back up in commissioner comments when DeVito said $15 an hour is a starting wage and, “I think it’s a slap in the face to our salaried employees that we are not willing to even discuss that at the table, yet we spend money in the hundreds of thousands, tens of thousands of dollars at a time.” He also equated the lack of agenda change approval to some commissioners not having been on as long as he had.
The length of time served prompted a difference in opinion from Wright and Meyer. Greene said she felt it was Dawson’s job to bring items on employees to the table as Dawson is the director, in stark contrast to commissioners overseeing hiring employees and promotions since last year.
Carter said he would help DeVito get the item for discussion on the next agenda.
Other Items
- Commissioners voted to remove Rick Bright from signing of checks and add Melissa Greene, Madison Dawson, and Jeff Carter to the signature card. Incoming interim Finance Director Scott Bardin said he did not feel he should not sign checks but will need access to the bank statements in a read-only’capacity. The motion carried unanimously.
- Commissioners voted unanimously to require a second signature, one from the Tourism Director and another from Burnett, on contracts Dawson signs.
- Bobbie Foster resigned by letter from the commission due to no longer being the manager of a restaurant or lodging.
- September 8 minutes were approved with abstention from Burnett.