The City Advertising and Promotion Commission met Nov. 21 and began with a report from Finance Director Ty Reed who said $1,974,000 was in the bank at the end of October. The tax remittance of October was $181,000, with the original budget projecting $215,000, so CAPC collections were down $34,000.
Year-to-date collections on Oct. 31 numbers came to $1,451,000, about $33,000 under what was anticipated last year. Cumulative total through September showed that the CAPC collected $17,000 less than 2023.
Tourism Director Mike Maloney said that after looking into tourism throughout the state, everywhere is down for 2024. However, he said, October 2024 may be one of the bigger months Eureka Springs has ever seen. The Zombie Crawl was estimated at 20,000 visitors, with some vendors running out of food and parking non-existent.
The Nightmare in the Ozarks film festival brought in films from 22 countries and sold around 600 movie passes to the Auditorium. Maloney said a lot of movie producers came to the event and were impressed, saying this was one of the best attended festivals for their niche.
Maloney also said that the Pass the Ammo and Rocky Horror Picture Show double feature didn’t set any records but did well and is booked for next year. Nightmare in the Ozarks has also booked for next year, but for a full week. Maloney said technology advancements have been made at the Aud with fiber optic cables installed, helping with day-to-day communications, improved live streaming of meetings, and better streaming for movies.
Fifty events have been scheduled for December, and about 150 for 2025, so far. Arkansas Parks Heritage and Tourism has offered to let the CAPC use their YouTube channel for free live coverage of the “Free to Be New Year’s Eve Celebration.” The CAPC team will be in Gulf Shores, Ala., December 9-11 for a seminar put on by Madden Media.
CAPC’s Group Tourism report was that they had attended the American Traveler Trends Forum concerning 2025 traveler trends. Data shown indicated that Americans are looking for authentic experiences, comfortable lodging, and the best places to eat. Americans are also looking for family and multi-generational trips, typically in places within a 100 to 500-mile radius from home.
Hospitality training will take place in Eureka Springs Feb. 11-13, funded by grant money. Hospitality professors will teach the sessions and result in a certificate for participants.
Budget requests
Parks Director Sam Dudley requested funding to help with the restoration of the fountain in Basin Park. He said that Parks had about $70,000 raised from a generous donor. The Preservation Society and the Daughters of the American Revolution were also helping fund the project, as well as the Arts Council.
Parks is putting out proposals to fix the sinking substructure of the fountain and is open for bids. Chair Steve Holifield later remarked that he wanted Parks, Museum of Eureka Springs Art, and other entities that regularly ask the CAPC for funding to present their budgets at a workshop so the CAPC can make lines regarding each entity’s need so they won’t need to ask for funds throughout the year.
There was discussion about the $44,000 yearly CAPC payment to the city for renovations to the Auditorium. Commissioners asked Reed about the best option, paying off the remainder of the loan or keep making payments. That was tabled until the next meeting.
There will be a budget workshop to discuss Holifield’s suggestions, as well as commissioner Heather Wilson-Vinson’s desire to make possible additions to the budget. Maloney suggested members read over the draft they are finishing up and share notes and requests at the workshop.
David Blankenship asked for $5000 to advertise Carving in the Ozarks and was granted the full amount to advertise in visitors’ guide and on social media. The Christmas Committee’s Laci Moffitt asked for $5000 to advertise for the “Bash with a Splash” New Year’s Eve event, to attract people during the usually slow period at the end of December. That request was approved.
Staying above board
Maloney and Holifield told commissioners to be careful in all communications, which are subject to FOIA, and to not do anything that could be perceived as swaying or influencing fellow commissioners’ votes on issues. Maloney read a portion of a letter from commissioner Robert Schmid’s email, as he was absent.
Schmid wrote that he will no longer read emails from fellow commissioners except for ones sent by the chair, and that he will not communicate with the others at all in email and let Maloney and CAPC staff convey information to him. Maloney said it would be wise for all commissioners to communicate with each other through the CAPC office.
From hourly to salary
There was a brief discussion about switching staff from hourly to salaried pay. Currently, only Maloney is on salary. Wilson-Vinson was expected to give a presentation about giving the staff yearly bonuses, but as three members were absent it was decided to discuss the issue at the workshop and then vote on it at the next meeting.
Commissioner Bradley Tate-Greene said he had spoken at the Hospital Commission meeting and needed to correct something he had said: that the commission had the right to dissolve the commission, he emended to city council had the right to dissolve the commission. He stresses that commissioners should serve with integrity and honesty, keeping in mind the law and FOIA.