The Fayetteville Advertising and Promotion Commission held its seventh meeting of 2011 at 2 p.m. Monday inside the Town Center on the downtown square.
Below is a roundup of highlights from the group’s monthly meeting for July 2011.
For highlights and news from previous meetings, see our archive of A&P Commission-related posts.
Note: Full roundup posts began in April 2011.
Roll Call
Present: Bob Davis, Marilyn Heifner, Lioneld Jordan, Bill Lyle, Hannah Mills, Maudie Schmitt, Justin Tennant
Absent: Brandon Karn
Monthly HMR collections up
HMR tax collections were up $21,329 (11.57%) from the same month last year. Total collections reported in June 2011 were $205,700.
Overall 2011 collections are now at $1,088,501, a 4.61 percent increase on the year.
See the chart and table below for a four-year comparison of HMR collections in Fayetteville.
Overdue HMR tax collections
According to City Attorney Kit Williams, the City Prosecutor’s Office collected $7,725 in overdue HMR taxes, bringing the year-to-date total to $20,042. Additionally, seven of the twenty reported prosecution cases for June were either closed or had a delinquent balance reduced to zero.
More important than the actual collection amount, said Williams, is the fact that after a decade of sustained efforts by the City Prosecutor’s office and the accounting department, the number of restaurants failing to send in collected HMR taxes has been reduced. Williams attributed this to faster collection efforts, especially for repeat offenders.
Williams, in his monthly report, wrote, “The prosecution of those few restaurant owners who fail to pay has helped maintain a level playing field for the vast majority of our restaurants who consistently pay their HMR taxes fully and on time.”
Visitors Center sales still up
Sales in the Visitors Center on the Fayetteville square saw yet another major increase over the same month last year.
Total sales for the month were $6,356, a 169 percent increase over June 2010.
Visits to the center were also up for the month with 1,463 total visitors, a 38 percent increase over June 2010.
Bond extension proposal delayed again
Once again, Mayor Jordan’s proposal to extend bonds used to build the Town Center to help fund an expansion of Walton Arts Center facilities in Fayetteville did not see any formal action at the July A&P meeting.
Commissioners requested to delay their vote until more information is available. Particularly, the group wants to see reports the arts center recently commissioned which detail the expected cost, revenues, and use of a new theater.
The reports from Schuler Shook, Webb Management Services, and Venue are expected to be complete in the next few months.
Four-year HMR collection numbers
Below is a graph and table representing four years of HMR tax collections in Fayetteville.
Full agenda packet
About the A&P Commission
The Fayetteville Advertising and Promotion Commission determines the use of the city’s advertising and promotion funds. The funds come from the 2% tax on purchases made at Fayetteville’s hotels, motels and restaurants (HMR).
State law requires the A&P Commission to be made up of four hotel, motel or restaurant owners/managers, two City Council members, and one member from the public at-large.
