A&P Commission Recap: June 2011
The Fayetteville Advertising and Promotion Commission held its sixth 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 June 2011.
Roll Call
Present: Bob Davis, Marilyn Heifner, Lioneld Jordan, Bill Lyle, Maudie Schmitt, Justin Tennant
Absent: Brandon Karn, Hannah Mills
Festival funds awarded
The commission awarded $61,800 to help fund 10 separate projects during its regular spring funding discussion meeting Monday afternoon.
Director Marilyn Heifner said the money for this round of funding was made up of 1) the balance from the October distributions, 2) a $10,000 allotment to the UA baseball program that was reverted back to the commission due to Arkansas not being selected to host a regional tournament, and 3) the difference between the commission’s income and expenses for 2010.
So far this year, the commission has awarded $322,976 to event organizers.
For a breakdown of which events received funds during this round, see our earlier post.
For more information on each festival, see our published documents of the individual requests.
Monthly HMR collections up
HMR tax collections were up $3,053 (1.65%) from the same month last year. Total collections reported in May 2011 were $188,149.
Overall 2011 collections are now at $882,601, a 3.12 percent increase on the year.
Overdue HMR tax collections
According to City Attorney Kit Williams, the City Prosecutor’s Office collected $310 in overdue HMR taxes, bringing the year-to-date total to $12,317.
Clinton House Museum visitors up
Visitors to the Clinton House Museum were up 184 percent for the month of May. A&P Director Marilyn Heifner said the 302 visitor count in May was one of the most the museum has seen in its opening in 2005.
May was by far the busiest month in 2011. The museum hosted 106 visitors in April, 162 in March, 52 in February and 99 in January.
Museum staff said warm weather has brought in visitors from all over the United States and other countries such as China, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and India. One notable visitor was comedian Ron White who stopped by while in town for performances at the Walton Arts Center.
Visitors Center sales still up
Sales in the Visitors Center on the Fayetteville square saw another major increase over the same month last year.
Total sales for the month were $7,246, a 216 percent increase over May 2010.
Visits to the center were also up for the month with 1,402 total visitors, a 48 percent increase over May 2010.
No update on bond extension proposal
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 action at the June A&P meeting.
A few commissioners had asked for more information at last month’s meeting before voting on whether to send the issue to the Fayetteville City Council.
The commission will resume discussion of the issue at the next regular meeting on July 11.
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.
