LITTLE ROCK — The Little Rock Advertising and Promotion Commission passed a 2011 budget that anticipates collecting $10.2 million in taxes from prepared food and hotel-room sales.
The $14.2 million spending plan, passed Tuesday, is up from the city tourism agency’s 2010 $13.8 million budget, but the new numbers are more reflective of the Little Rock Convention and Visitors Bureau’s actual expenses, said Chief Financial Officer Leisa Pulliam.
After the departure this month of former executive Dan O’Byrne for a similar job in Jacksonville, Fla., Pulliam brought department managers to the table to refine O’Byrne’s proposed 2011 budget.
She increased 2011 tax collection estimates from $9.7 million to $10.2 million after reviewingpast collections and the capital city’s restaurant scene. And instead of a one-page budget, the bureau now has a 13-page document detailing the $14.2 million in revenue and expenses.
The changes weren’t a criticism of O’Byrne’s prepared budget, but reflective of a different management style, said Pulliam, who joined the bureau this summer.
The budget includes merit raises of up to 5 percent for the agency’s 196 employees, but some employees won’t receive raises because they make the maximum allowed for their positions under the bureau’s pay schedule.
Of the $14.2 million in expenses, payroll accounts for $6.4 million. The bureau operates the city’s parking garages, Statehouse Convention Center and Robinson Center.
Commissioners said theywere pleased with the budget, which also included a $250,000 contribution toward operating the city’s River Market building.
The bureau is working on a three-year contract with the city to continue managing the River Market building and surrounding pavilions and amphitheater in downtown Little Rock.
The city turned over operations of the tourist destination in hopes that the bureau could hold down costs.
Little Rock still plans to contribute $250,000 to its operations and expects that the venue will draw in about $250,000 of its own revenue.
As of Oct. 31, the River Market brought in $249,017 in rental fees for the pavilion, vendor hall and farmers market. During the same time, the site cost $742,083 to manage, clean and advertise.
Arkansas, Pages 18 on 11/21/2010