The City Advertising and Promotion Commission unanimously voted in executive session April 22 to not extend the contract of Tourism Director Lacey Ekberg. Ekberg was hired by the CAPC in August 2019 as Executive Director, and through a turn of closed-door events in February 2020 was reassigned to a 90-day contract as a consultant.
No wrongdoing was reported to the public and no explanation was provided by the commission as to why Ekberg’s employment was shifted to contract labor and now terminated through contractual maturity on May 14.
Commissioners made arrangements to remove Ekberg’s name from all bank account signature cards and add Interim-Director Gina Rambo as a new signatory.
Finance Director Rick Bright provided notice to the commission that the State of Arkansas has issued new guidelines to tax collecting agencies for March through June 2020. These guidelines are temporary due to the covid-19 pandemic and will allow the waiver of monthly sales tax penalties and interest from sales tax assessments. Commissioners agreed.
Bright also provided the March financial report that the February tax assessment for lodging collections was up by 25.6 percent and restaurant collections up by 14.5 percent, compared to 2019, and on Ekberg’s watch.
The CAPC has a workshop scheduled for Wednesday, May 13 at 4 p.m.