City Council had to quickly add to the business of Monday’s meeting to include a report on the City Advertising and Promotion Commission by aldermen Melissa Greene and Harry Meyer.
Meyer covered an overall YTD tax collection surplus of 21.5 percent as well as increased Instagram impressions, followers, and Facebook post interactions thanks to Paradise Marketing.
The two aldermen went over future and current events including Music in the Park, Mardi Gras, the July 4 fireworks show, and Drumming in the Park which all received funding. They also reported that interviews for a Tourism Director were under way and all events that the CAPC is responsible were underway to happen.
Alderman Terry McClung said there was “no question as to the qualifications of the ad company” referring to Paradise. He said he would like to see accurate numbers of “heads in beds” and he believed Paradise has a way to quantify that number and that those would be the numbers that matter.
Greene referenced Tourism Director candidate Madison Dawson’s wish to bring in further conferences and conventions, and Greene said she has “fingers crossed” that motels will see an upswing of business in the fall.
Alderman Autumn Slane asked where candidates for Tourism Director had come from, with Greene explaining that they had begun with a nationwide search that garnered 10 mostly regional applicants. That number was brought down to three through commissioner vetting. One dropped out leaving the two they have left. The second candidate is to be interviewed by commissioners this weekend with a public interview on Monday, July 19.
Slane asked why the minutes of CAPC meetings were failing to be approved, with Meyer saying that there had been question to whether there were enough votes to approve meeting minutes. CAPC meets on Wednesday, July 14 at 6 p.m. for their regular meeting.
Zoning adjustment appeal ordinance deferred
Aldermen moved to discuss an ordinance to authorize appeals from the Board of Zoning Adjustment (BOZA) to go to city council before an individual filing an appeal would need to go to circuit court.
The ordinance comes after state legislation allowed such ordinances to be made. Originally, any appeal a citizen makes from the BOZA goes straight to circuit court and requires payment of court costs. Having the ordinance would mean that it is possible for an individual to get appealed and approved through city council without incurring cost. Should their appeal be denied they still have the option to go to circuit court.
McClung raised a question to the point of the ordinance, saying that if they have the circuit court option that there wasn’t a need to go to city council. Mayor Butch Berry explained that if city council approved the appeal, the person filing the appeal would incur no cost. McClung said that if they don’t they’ll still go to circuit court to attempt to appeal their decision, so the system should be left as is.
Meyer voiced his agreement with McClung, “Let them go to court. We have to trust our commissions.” He also said that if there is no charge that council would receive a lot of appeals.
Alderman LauraJo Smole moved to defer the decision until the next meeting, wanting to take a closer look at the ordinance. Meyer was the only dissent to defer.
Other Items
- An ordinance for Eureka Springs to declare June 19 a holiday was approved unanimously in the end with McClung questioning why there was any need for an ordinance if it is already recognized as a federal holiday.
- Ferguson Stewart gave an update on broadband from the Planning Commission saying that the city needed to expand its broadband capacity and that a survey was being done by the state that would give the city an idea of where broadband connection is unavailable and hampered within the city. Berry said that Carroll County Internet was assisting in getting grant money for the city to do just that.
- In an update on the Flint/Douglas Street intersection, Berry said that surveys were still be compiled to give a clear picture of property lines and that speed ramp recommendations had been given to aldermen.
- Ordinances for repairing sidewalks and for the procedure for removing city commission members were deferred to the next meeting as well as recommendations from Planning for defining Bed & Breakfasts.
- In public comments Ethan and David Avanzino spoke about their business, Wanderoo Lodge and Gravel Bar, asking that council clarify how sound readings should be taken. They said that police response to noise ordinance complaints has increased even when they have not broken the ordinance.