City Advertising and Promotion Commissioners received a glowing financial report at their April 27 meeting with Finance Director Scott Bardin showing increased revenue in all areas of collections. Year-to-date financials compared to the budget were up 58 percent or $123,000 through the first quarter. Continuing with budget comparisons Food & Beverage collections were up 83 percent and Lodging was up 57 percent. Bardin said the CAPC was looking strong, and the 49 delinquencies in tax collections had been whittled down to down to two.
With that news commissioners were quick to approve further glow ups to the basement of the Auditorium. Nabholz Construction gave a bid of $67,443 for construction improvements to the elevator.
Tourism Director Madison Dawson requested these funds as well as $25,000 to put in an audio/visual system downstairs so audiences could watch shows live from there, and another $15,000 to renovate equipment in the concession area.
The $107,443 list, which would come from surplus which Dawson noted had a $1 million balance, was approved unanimously.
Also approved was a marketing request from Spring Fling Bike Rally for $5,000. Despite only being a few days away, precedent was noted that the CAPC had approved funding for Spring Diversity Weekend this year when the event was the same weekend.
Discussion went back and forth about a need for commissioners to redefine when marketing requests can be made, and commissioner James DeVito said the current request was for marketing already completed. Commissioner Patrick Burnett said as long as receipts are shown he was fine with approving the funds. The vote carried 4-1 with a No from DeVito.
In terms of saving money, Dawson spoke on the annual Folk Festival. In previous years the CAPC has contracted producer Nancy Paddock for organizing, hiring of talent, and logistics for the Folk Festival. Dawson told commissioners that with a “full office” she did not believe they would need someone in that capacity but would need a Talent Liaison to hire and network with artists.
Dawson said the job would hold fewer responsibilities and would require pay of $3,000 rather than the $5,000 for a producer. Commissioner Autumn Slane questioned if an events coordinator position already existed. Dawson replied that it did not, and that duties of managing the Aud were split between her and Molly Horton. A motion allowing Dawson to advertise the position carried unanimously.
Vacant seat still vacant
Commissioners were unable to come to a decision on the fated individual to take up Position 4.
At the start of nominations, Slane said that City Ord. 2060, establishing the CAPC, read that commissioners were to live within the municipality, although by-laws require them to live in the county. At the end of nominations, she implored commissioners to look into the ordinance, and there was some discussion about whether the ordinance or by-laws were to be followed.
Three of four nominations failed in vote with nomination for David Avanzino failing 3-2-1 with Burnett abstaining, commissioner Carol Wright and Chair Jeff Carter voting No; Andrea Evans at 3-3 with commissioners, Slane, Nick Roberts, and DeVito voting No; and Bill King failing at 3-2 with Slane, Wright, and Burnett voting No. There was no nomination for the fourth applicant, Heather Reed.
Other items
In Public Comments, former mayor Beau Satori requested the resignation of Carter and Wright, saying that the dishonesty shown in court depositions had stemmed from current members of the CAPC rather than improper behavior of former employees. He said that depositions and emails were still being studied and that the recordings made by Slane were looking back at two years of problems in the city.
DeVito also had comment at the end of the meeting, saying that with only one month left on the commission he’d speak his mind.
He accused an unnamed city alderman of telling him that he should “leave town” at the end of their last meeting and said that finding out another alderman had, in his own words, “surreptitiously” taped calls of other government officials, troubled him.
DeVito also said that conspiracy theories “abound” in Eureka Springs and, using same and not dissimilar language to national conspiracy theories, said some members of council were rushing to “get their agenda established” and that it may be “at their peril.” He argued that government is meant to work slowly, and the recordings and commissioners being sued “for just nits and lice” cast a pall over anyone wishing to run city government.
DeVito said he did not know how the community would make it without those who volunteer to run. During his time he also equated the recordings as the “left fighting amongst themselves” though noted “I assume that’s the left represented by those taped phone calls. I don’t really know what their politics are all about” and finished the statement by calling the recordings “underhanded.”
Other, other items
The CAPC’s contract with the Historic Museum to receive $600 monthly and act as a visitor center will be on the agenda at the next meeting. Dawson gave commissioners a copy of the contract with added items from the Historic Museum as well as language that defines the contract to be up for renewal in January of every year. She said she would show the draft to the museum’s director Jeff Danos to make sure it was agreeable to him as well.
- Molly Horton gave a short but positive staff report. Ozark Mountain Daredevils played on April 28 in the Aud with 611 people in attendance and a profit of $4,000. Balm of Life is also set to begin June through August for 14 weekends. Summer lineup is fully booked.