Mayor sends ad commission FOIA request

Hot Springs Mayor Ruth Carney on Thursday submitted a written request for personnel and financial information to the Hot Springs Advertising and Promotion Commission under the state’s Freedom of Information Act.

Steve Arrison, CEO of Visit Hot Springs, called the request “a little disappointing.” Visit Hot Springs, formerly called the Hot Springs Convention and Visitors Bureau, is an operation of the ad commission.

“I would like to have electronic copies of all detailed, itemized financial statements and ledgers, including salaries of the advertising and promotion commission as detailed under H. S. C. Section 5- 2- 1.5( c),” Carney said in her letter, which she hand- delivered to the commission.

The referenced Hot Springs Code states that “the commissioners shall make quarterly reports to the mayor and city council beginning three months after their oath of office, reporting in full on the operations of the commission, including an accounting of receipts and disburse-

ments, and shall upon request of the city council, furnish such other and further reports and data as may be required. The commission shall select a recognized auditing firm to submit an annual audit of the operations of the commission to the mayor and city council.”

“The city manager called us a couple of times and wanted our quarterly financial reports, which we usually have right on time,” Arrison said Friday.

“But our Chief Financial Officer Bob Highfill retired and we were without ( one) for about 30 days. So we’re running about three weeks behind, but we’ll probably have it next week.

“We explained that to the city manager, and I guess the mayor wanted that. ... I don’t know,” Arrison said.

“She delivered this letter over to our office yesterday ( Thursday). She could have come on in and we could have explained it to her and given her the information she requested.”

Arrison said the quarterly reports are submitted to the city on a regular basis and are required by the city ordinance establishing the commission.

“I’ve been here 13 years or so, and I don’t remember it ever being an issue before.”

Arrison said Carney also requested a copy of the commission’s 2010 annual audit.

“We’ve already given that to the city. Our audit rolls into the city audit ... we’re part of the city audit, so they’ve had that for six or seven months, but we’re giving her a copy of that as well.

“But, I’ve never seen a city FOIA itself before. This may be a first,” he said.

The ad commission is an independent city commission, by state law.

“We’re part of the city,” Arrison said. “If we buy a piece of property, the city actually owns it. We have our separate retirement, health insurance, but we are part of the city. We operate the city’s convention center. We don’t have an operating agreement for that because we’re part of the city.

“I wish she had just called and talked to us, or stuck her head in the office when she dropped the letter off,” he said.

Arrison said he was not sure what the mayor may be requesting in regard to salaries, since the advertising and promotion commission members are volunteers.

“We’ll give her the salaries we release every year. All our salaries are in our budget book given to the media and each one of our commissioners,” he said.

“There’s no secrets. We’re a totally open operation and I’m sorry she felt she had to write a letter, because usually this information is available at our fingertips.

“But this was a unique situation where we had a guy retire and then the only other person that works in that office was out for 30 days with neck surgery, so we’re two to three weeks behind.”

Arrison said a new chief financial officer, who is a CPA, has been hired and “we’ll be back to normal in a week or so.”

He also said the commission’s independent audit for 2011 will be completed in the next couple of weeks, and there had been no allegations of any type of wrongdoing concerning the commission.

“I just hope it’s not another attack on tourism or the 3 percent ( advertising and promotion) tax. I hope that’s not what it is.”

He said the ad commission will hold its regular meeting Monday, and “maybe we need to have a little retreat with the mayor and let the commission- ers meet with her and let her have a little better understanding of just what we do.”

“It’s a shame we’re wasting our time on these types of things when summer’s coming up. We had a great first quarter, and indications are we’ve already set a record for the 3percent tax collections for the month of March.

“I think things are moving ahead and we’d do a lot better if we worked together instead of sort of picking at each other all the time. Hopefully, we can improve this relationship,” Arrison said.

“The main thing, I think, is that she doesn’t understand what the A& P Commission does. There’s no reason a city board member would need to file a Freedom of Information request. I think that’s overkill. I’m not sure if it was to make a point or exactly what, but it wasn’t necessary.

“It’s much ado about nothing once again, but at least we don’t have to click through that. We’re not counting employees over at the convention center,” he said, referring to the recent count of the St. Patrick’s Day Parade attendance.

Carney was unavailable for comment Friday.