TEXARKANA - Texarkana Advertising and Promotion Commission members voted during a specially called meeting Monday to rescind a motion regarding the city’s use of funds questioned by an Arkansas legislative audit, then approved a new motion with more specific wording.
“We are trying to get this right. We want to get this right without any errors in the wording,” Commissioner Debbie Haak said. “For our benefit. I think we need to look at a new motion.”
The changes in the motion’s wording include specifics on what advertising and promotion funds can be used for, including specifics on the operation and maintenance of the convention center.
A copy of the motion with exact wording of the changes was not available to the Texarkana Gazetteon Monday.
Haak made the motion to rescind the previous wording and approve a new motion. All four members at the meeting voted in favor of the changes.
Other members present were Chairman Claude Moore, Deborah Wright and the Rev. Londell Williams. Joyce Dennington had to leave the meeting before it started because of a family emergency.
An investigative report from the state Legislative Joint Auditing Committee details an array of problems,including breaking Arkansas laws and local ordinances, in Texarkana’s rush to provide incentives to finance the construction of a privately owned hotel/convention center and water park.
Issues covered in the report were handled by City Manager Harold Boldt, the city Board of Directors and the Advertising and Promotion Commission.
“The City provided several incentives to a private investor, who constructed and owns a hotel/convention center and a water park in Texarkana,” the summary of the investigative report states. “The DLA [Division of Legislative Audit] review revealed inadequately documented construction expenditures totaling $4.14 million, a duplicate reimbursement to the investor of $44,614, and noncompliance with various state laws, as well as city codes, ordinances, policies, and agreements.”
Also at the meeting, the commissioners voted to hire the law firm of Mercy, Carter and Tidwell to represent the commission in a lawsuit filed by Texarkana resident August Harder over the commission’s allotment of funds to the water park and convention center.
Arkansas, Pages 11 on 04/19/2014