The meeting opened with a request from Trella Laughlin asking that the old Friends of THE Aud be reinstituted; the Council remove THE Aud from the control of the CAPC and put it under the Friends; the CAPC continue to support THE Aud for a period of one year until the Friends might get its own fundraising underway, and 501(C)(3)s that did not charge be allowed to use THE Aud free until the transfer was complete.
The item contained a clause saying that one Lesbian and one Gay man should be seated on the Friends. Commissioner Byrd, an openly gay man, said, “I like your idea very much,” and asked Laughlin if she would help organize the Friends. Laughlin said she would, but only under the direction of the Council and the CAPC.
Chair Grinnell suggested they schedule a workshop.
Came time to schedule the workshop, the CAPC, including Commissioner Byrd, decided it had done everything that needed to be done re: the Lesbian/Gay issues. No discussion of that, or of Laughlin’s wider-ranging proposal, was scheduled.
Applications for Empty Seats
Bob McCool had turned in his application for the empty lodging seat 6 weeks ago. It had been held up by Executive Director Jim Williams for 2 weeks, then was given to the commissioners. The CAPC took no action at its last meeting.
Susan Chamberlain turned in her application the day of this meeting, July 23rd. Grinnell asked if the commission should nominate or wait.
Commissioner Byrd said they should wait until commissioners had time to review Chamberlains’ application.
That put the wait for CAPC action until Sept. 3, the next CAPC meeting. All commissioners agreed.
The CAPC will then recommend to Council, which makes the final determination. That will take two more weeks.
The CAPC now has two vacancies, one for restaurants, and this one for lodging. Council had not approved James DeVito’s previous application for the CAPC restaurant seat.
Executive Director’s Contract Renewed
The Commission want into Executive Session to discuss renewal of Executive Director Jim Williams’ contract for another year.
Renewal was approved.
Eureka Springs Historical Museum
Carol Greer appeared on behalf of the Historical Museum to ask for an increase in CAPC funding, to cover operating expenses.
In addition to providing free historical materials to the City, including the CAPC, the Museum acts as a welcome center for visitors. According to Greer there about 20 people asking for information for each one person paying the $5 admission fee to go through the museum. There are approximately 1000 visitors during season, she said. There are two knowledgeable staff that keep the museum open 7 days a week.
Greer asked for $700/month, an increase over the current $450/month. The $450 from the CAPC has been the same since 2001, Greer said.
Commissioners postponed action until an upcoming budget review.
Contracts with Family Members
Commissioners decided they would ask for sealed bids in order to avoid conflicts of interest with family members of staff.
Language to cover commissioner’s spouses or partners was not clear in the document presented, and so will be clarified for action at the next meeting.
Vacation Package
The CAPC had approved a vacation package offering rooms at a reduced rate along with tickets to one of three attractions. After advertising in the area, Williams said 100 calls had been received; out of those they had booked 24 packages.
In other business:
Williams said that storm destruction of a gutter had led to Aud damage for which he thought FEMA would provide 50% reimbursement of the $2500 cost; the state one-quarter; and the CAPC the remainder.
Williams was concerned with solving the problem of properties for which the CAPC receives continuous complaints.
Williams said he would probably see that Mardi Gras would be given festival status. He said things were on go for the Hookers and Jokers Ball.
The Commission responded to the Attorney General’s opinion, saying they would continue to do as they do now, assessing all lodging at a 3% rate.
Approved Operations Director Sheila Husley’s financial report saying tax collections for June were above projections, and above those brought in last year, both for restaurants and lodgings.
Next meetings
The next CAPC meeting is Wednesday, September 3, 4:30, in City Hall. Please note, this is earlier than usual.
A budget workshop will be held on August 20, 9:30 am, in the CAPC offices.
Filed under: ES Folk | Tagged: CAPC, Eureka Springs, Politics
