The City Advertising and Promotion Commission has held a series of special meetings following the abrupt departures of Chair Chris Clifton, commissioner Chris Jones, and Finance Director Scott Bardin, who resigned without notice. Interim Chair Steve Holifield led the meetings with commissioners Kolin Paulk, Bradley Tate-Green, David Avanzino, and reinstated Director Mike Maloney at the table.
The first order of business was changing the policy of all commissioners reviewing contracts, to two. The commission also decided that they want Maloney to bring all contracts pending approval to meetings so commissioners could review them.
Job notice for a CAPC finance director will be posted and Holifield thanked City Finance Director Michael Akins for assisting until a replacement is hired. Maloney was asked what salary the position would offer, and said he would clarify that at a later time and that it would be part of the job posting.
Akins had advised the commission to remove Clifton, Jones, and Bardin from CAPC bank accounts and add Maloney. The legislative auditor that Bardin had contacted also advised Maloney to be reinstated on the account. Commissioners agreed.
Because of the way Bardin left, Maloney explained that the CAPC currently cannot make payments, only make deposits, and that they have no way online to process payments made. Akins advised that the CAPC get credit cards with set amounts for Maloney and two other employees.
Commissioners voted to get the credit cards at the set amounts of $5000 for Maloney, $5000 for Administration Manager Danyelle Harris, and $7500 for group sales to make short term payments, buy necessities, and cover travel expenses. Paulk made a motion to pay off the current credit card before these new cards were procured.
Maloney suggested that commissioners hold a workshop on the second Wednesday of every month for discussion of special issues. Holifield said that they would not make a decision on this at that meeting, and that he had several thoughts on that idea.
They then discussed paying for the Ozark Mountain Daredevils during Folk Festival, which was set in motion several months ago. The CAPC has $25,000 budgeted for auditorium events and had not yet used the money, so Maloney contacted Larry Shaeffer of Little Wing Productions to bring in the Daredevils and two other acts for $10,000 up front and $10,000 after the show. Commissioners voted to pay the acts.
Maloney said that he had been looking at the policy for renting out the Aud and said they needed to charge by the seat and have acts or those holding events pay a set rate and then they can get refunds if not all seats were filled so people aren’t being overcharged. Holifield said that would be an excellent workshop topic.