The Fayetteville Advertising and Promotion Commission held its eighth 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 August 2011.
For highlights and news from previous meetings, see our archive of A&P Commission-related posts.
Roll Call
Present: Director Marilyn Heifner, Lioneld Jordan, Bill Lyle, Justin Tennant
Absent: Bob Davis, Brandon Karn, Hannah Mills, Maudie Schmitt
Monthly HMR collections up
HMR tax collections were up $9,115 (4.6%) from the same month last year. Total collections reported in July 2011 were $205,438.
Overall 2011 collections are now at $1,293,939, a 4.62 percent increase on the year.
Director Marilyn Heifner said she expects September and October to be big months for HMR revenue. There are three non-SEC Razorback home football games scheduled in September as well as the annual Bikes, Blues & BBQ festival. October will see the annual Chile Pepper run and one SEC Razorback home football game (Auburn).
(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 $8,750 in overdue HMR taxes in July, bringing the year-to-date total to $28,793.
Four of the city’s 20 cases were closed with full payment of the overdue HMR taxes.
Visitors Center sales still up
Sales in the Visitors Center on the Fayetteville square saw its smallest increase since January 2011. Still, at $5,707, it was quite a jump (62%) over July 2010.
Visits to the center also saw a smaller increase than usual. Again, however, visits were up (4.5%) for the month over last year. 1,441 people visited the center in July.
Clinton House Museum visits hit an annual high in July
303 people visited the Clinton House Museum last month. Compared with 243 visitors in June, 302 in May, and 106 in April, July was the best month for the attendance at the museum this year.
No movement on the 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 August A&P meeting.
Commissioners in July 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.
