July 2006 it was off to Palm Beach
Four Points by Sheraton
Miami Beach in March 2007
Orlando in March of 2008 The Breakers Hotel
Does the CEO collect a fat cat salary in addition to receiving volunteer commissions everyone is talking about? Or is it possible he was actually trying to bring new business to Springdale from the sandy shores of the coast?
Every month the Chamber of Commerce's cable bill remains steadily between $39-$45.
It is obvious that checks written from the Springdale Chamber of Commerce operating account either require or normally have two signatures. As they should.
A member of Springdale Chamber of Commerce's Board of Directors hand-delivered a letter to citizen watchdog Anita Davis back in late October regarding the letter written by Ervin & Company which included recommendations for improving the Chamber's accounting practices.Chairperson Blake Hanby signed the letter and stated an investigation was conducted and he was pleased and proud to announce no misconduct or wrongdoing on the part of the Chamber or its staff.
We have prepared a quick list of payments made to landscaping companies (there were two) and to Perry Webb's daughter (former Chamber employee) and son-in-law, owners of Showcase Lawns.
1. We do not know what address or addresses were being landscaped.
2. We do not know why the Chamber used more than one company.
3. We do not know why the checks were sometimes made out to the company and sometimes made out to the owners of the companies.
4. The Chamber's lawn has been referred to as the size of a postage stamp.
The issue has been raised that this meeting might have been more responsible had it been held locally.
That would not only have done more to support local business, it would have cost much less and allowed for more citizen input by those who maybe couldn't afford to take an expensive trip to strategize about our town nearly three hours away.
More than $40,400.00 was spent by the Chamber of Commerce for just Mount Magazine Lodge and 9G Enterprises on this weekend getaway. We do not know how much members who attended paid for the trip (if anything).
This isn't Perry Webb's first rodeo with the Freedom of Information Act and it appears to me he doesn't like it much. This is an excerpt from Lynch at Large blogs from 2006 wherein FOIA requests were sent to the Springdale Chamber of Commerce regarding the planning, financing, construction and operation of the baseball stadium.
Only a month earlier Webb admitted to meeting with council members one-on-one for the sole purpose of skirting potential FOI requests.
UPDATE: A month earlier than that, in July 2006 and against the advice of the City Attorney, Webb refused to release documents requested by the Arkansas Democrat Gazette under the Freedom of Information Act.
Nonsense. Webb still doesn't get it.
According to www.dictionary.com a volunteer is a person who voluntarily offers himself or herself for a service or undertaking; a person who performs a service willingly and without pay.
Am I the only one to think handing out luxurious trips based upon a percentage of sales makes them something other than a volunteer?
Springdale citizens were kept in the dark about this budget meeting as it was was conveniently absent from the public calendar. The 2010 budget passed without a hitch or mention of the Chamber of Commerce and the money they will continue to receive from the city.
This is an older newspaper article from April 2009. We felt we needed to quickly bring it back to the forefront again as we believe it will become relevant when we delve into more recent developments involving the City of Springdale and how they spend our tax dollars. In this article, Mayor Doug Sprouse discusses cutting expenses from public safety, police and fire departments. Sprouse is also quoted as saying "there will be some layoffs."
Quick compilations created by us to give you an overview of how the Springdale Chamber of Commerce spends their dining dollars.Dining compilation sorted by date
Dining compilation sorted by restaurant
Don't miss this blog & hilarious photo from The Iconoclast: Chickendale Cowbirds Chowdown
We recently reported on the three charitable contributions we were able to locate made by the Chamber of Commerce.I don't know what these payments were for and frankly I'm puzzled by what a church in Camden does for the economy of Springdale. BUT before you decide to go and light something on fire in my front yard, this isn't about the churches. That is a very personal decision each of us makes. I just don't think the Chamber should decide which churches our city should make donations to.
Fun Fact: The First Baptist Church of Springdale seems to be a favorite.
2) They were the only church invited to enjoy the elite skybox for a Naturals baseball game.
The Iconoclast: The Cowbirds of Summer
We hate to only focus on the negative so today we would like to take a moment to show you some philanthropic giving by the chamber of commerce. This is all we've found so far - listed in order of amount donated. If we've missed any, please let us know.
The Susan G Komen Foundation.......... $200
Circle of Life Hospice Memorial for Cora Webb.......... $1,000
Let's face it. Buying office supplies isn't much fun for most of us. But the Springdale Chamber of Commerce has found a way to make it more enjoyable. They get office supplies at Lands' End! Who would have thought? Don't let the hoopla surrounding the Office Depot grand opening in Springdale back in 2007 fool you. That was just for show. The Chamber knows real office supplies - the good kind - come from places like Lands' End, Bose, iTunes, etc.
Oh, and let's not forget Hickory Creek Marina.
Perry Webb makes no secret of his love for Notre Dame's Fighting Irish, but he might be trying to keep it a secret that the Springdale Chamber of Commerce pays for his trips to watch them play. Mr. Webb might say he gets a commission for selling sponsorships for programs as he was quoted in the Arkansas Democrat Gazette. This is the same explanation used by Brian Moore for his exotic honeymoon and anniversary trips.
However, it seems improbable Webb would get a commission on top of an already lofty salary. See 2007 Form 990 ( pg. 5).
Another explanation given by 2009 Chairman Blake Hanby is that members pay the Chamber back for the trips. Giving Webb the benefit of the doubt, we searched every bank deposit provided by the Chamber and found nothing from anyone with the last name WEBB.
See the flight itinerary for September 26 - 28 , 2007.
This airline ticket for October 14, 2007 cost the Chamber $1025.90. Coincidentally, there was a sold out rivalry game against USC held that weekend.
The 2007 Notre Dame Football Notes.
Pictures from Webb's Twitter Account
It has been reported by television station 40/29 that sporting goods chain ACADEMY SPORTS OUTDOORS will be breaking ground on a new building in Rogers before Christmas this year.
The Thursday, December 3, 2009 edition of the Northwest Arkansas Times ran a very large advertisement for the Springdale Chamber of Commerce wherein they pat themselves on the back for Springdale being voted the best place to raise kids in Arkansas by Business Week.
Two days after his beautiful wedding ceremony in 2006, Brian Moore whisked away his new bride on a romantic getaway to the Island of Tahiti, French Polynesia. The Springdale Chamber of Commerce graciously picked up the $8,605.40 tab.
Unfortunately, after a lengthy search, we have come up empty handed. All we can do is speculate what kind of vessel is being stored at the Hickory Creek Marina while being paid for by the Chamber of Commerce.Music to your ears or band of thieves?
Purchases from Bose
Purchase from cooligear
Purchase from ZoomSystems @ DFW
The Chamber of Commerce paid $1,600 a month rent back in 2007 for an executive suite at the Link's in Springdale. Perry Webb signed the lease agreement, but who was staying there?
A letter to Perry Webb written April 20, 2009 from the accounting firm, S.F. Fiser & Co., admits monies received from the City of Springdale, formerly belonging to the taxpayers, is deposited as unrestricted revenue and co-mingled with other contractual income. The letter goes on to say it would be “inappropriate” to segregate contractual and unrestricted revenue without providing a specifically designated purpose.
