Directors Merry, Good, Tyler, & Weber should be figuratively tarred & feathered… here is why.

The near defunct Fort Smith Convention Center needs to generate $1.1 million yearly to avoid a short-fall, so they say.

The Fort Smith hotel tax generates $700,000 per year, the Convention Center generates $650,000 per year, and it is said the recently ordained 1% “prepared food tax”, compliments of Directors Merry, Good, Tyler, & Weber will generate $1,800,000 per year…for a grand total of $3,150,000 yearly dedicated to the A & P.  I am aghast at their audacity!

The total of the aforementioned 3 sources of revenue is $2,050,000 in excess of what is needed to sustain the operations of the Convention Center.  Can you say huge surplus and where does it go and for what?  Chief Claude Legris envisions an “Opportunity Fund” (?), money for Bass Reeves monument (allegedly a private endeavor), festivals, the Arts Community, theater events, etc.  Legris is salivating and has the money spent before collected.

Who in their right mind could be expected to put that much money in the hands of an overpaid Claude Legris, the  A & P Commission, the City Mgr. Ray Gosack, and theTerrible Four listed above City Directors?

More incendiary arrogance exhibited by newly ordained Bureau Chief Legris:  On a question to Legris regarding oversight of these MILLIONs, Legris’ response “the A & P (Advertising & Promotion) is itself the mechanism of oversight”, i.e. they police themselves and for all practical purposes means there is no oversight.

The question arises again, what happens to the $2,050,000 surplus languishing in the hands of Claude Legris and his Commission?

Note that the $700,000 lodging tax and the $650,000 generated by the C.C. is enough to sustain the operation of the C.C. with funds left over for maintenance.  Therefore; why did Merry, Good, Tyler & Weber vote for a 1% prepared food tax while denying the citizens an opportunity to vote?   Is all of the above not malfeasance/misfeasance?

In the shadow of the invasive, non-essential tax comes other proposed taxing salvos from the terrible four.

1. Director Tyler—“surplus prepared food tax money can be set aside, such as the U.S. Marshall’s Museum”,– (The pie-in-the-sky 1,000 lb. gorilla.) Does Tyler not understand that the Museum is a dedicated privately funded endeavor, even though the City Mgr & the terrible four (and perhaps others) have already dumped thousands of taxpayer dollars into the museum folly.  Is this not a violation of trust & ethics?
2. The food tax is to begin in June and right on the heels of the food tax power grab, Tyler is already fanning the flames to establish “business/license fees”.
3. Director Merry—stated “he recognizes that the Convention Center will have huge surpluses” and he stressed “putting some meat on the bone”.  (Translation=throwing more thousands at the C.C.)
4. The aforementioned Terrible Four and Claude Legris bear watching very closely and can only be described as tax & spend Socialists. There is of course the heavy involvement of City Manager Gosack.
5. Coercion and manipulation has produced a protection racket that envelopes the C.C., all the while the city of Fort Smith gets a C-/D+ on its Economic Report Card…and not one public comment from the Fort Smith City Directors regarding this dismal report.
6. Are we dealing with ignorance or complicity, or a combination thereof?

Kindest regards,

Joe McCutchen

P.S. Why haven’t the Water Dept. checks been cashed??

arkansasfreedom.net

www.fortsmithtruth.com