A&P to consider funding requests for 2018 events

Commission faces complaint over prior refusal to vote on one group’s request

Texarkana, Ark., Advertising and Promotions Commission meets this afternoon to hear funding requests and decide its allocations for 2018, among other agenda items.

Local organizations and events will make brief pitches asking for a share of the city’s hotel and restaurant taxes the commission distributes to support the Texarkana tourism and hospitality industries.

At last October’s allocation meeting, the commission awarded 17 organizations a total of more than $239,000.

The commission also will discuss a judge’s recent ruling that all the financial incentives it provided the original owner of the Arkansas Convention Center will transfer to the new owner. The commission has not yet decided whether to appeal the ruling.

Amendments to the commission’s bylaws will be up for discussion, including clarifying who may apply for funding outside the normal October allocation and changing the time of quarterly meetings.

The commission will hear

a request for additional 2017 funding from Gathering of Authors, a local literary and charity event.

The commission’s refusal to vote on Gathering of Authors’ request last month sparked a series of complaints from the event’s organizers about inconsistencies in the commission’s voting procedures.

Their suggested resolutions are also on the agenda for discussion. They have called for equitable treatment for all funding applicants, suspension of the commission’s bylaws until they can be revised and removal of commission Chairman Buddy Allen. The group has threatened a lawsuit if the situation is not resolved to their satisfaction.

Also on the agenda are discussions of the “legality of the appointment of the at large position” and several budget amendments: to account for 2017 estimates and approve allocation of 2018 funds, to allocate additional funds for legal services, and to include membership fees for the Arkansas Association of Convention and Visitors Bureaus.

The commission will convene in executive session at the end of the meeting to discuss its vacant seat.

The meeting is scheduled for 2 p.m. in the boardroom at City Hall, 216 Walnut St.

On Twitter: @RealKarlRichter