Ski Colorado

When things get too hot in The Land of Sunshine Mr. and Mrs. Webb like to cool off in Colorado.

Who wouldn't enjoy...

Breakfast at Paradise Bakery Cafe in Denver; lunch at Bob's Place in Avon; dinner at Gore Range Brewery in Edwards; A trail ride or rafting trip from Triple G Outfitters in Wolcott. Of course the $422.03 rental car was covered too.

The Webb's also enjoyed the ski train package back in March of 2006 too. Coincidentally or not, the American Express statement for this period is missing so we don't know what wonderful restaurants they visited on that trip.

The Iconoclast: Behind the Cowbird Curtain

Take the 2030 Transportation Survey

The Northwest Arkansas Regional Planning Commission, the transportation planning organization in Northwest Arkansas is currently updating its Long Range Transportation Plan. The draft Plan under development will create a vision for transportation improvements through the year 2030.

Your opinion is very important. Since transportation impacts everyone in the region, feedback from citizens is needed. Please take a moment to answer the following questions and share your suggestions about transportation here.

Transit Committee Looks For Money

The Morning News recently reported how an advisory board for Ozark Regional Transit is in serious need of funds.

Former Springdale Mayor Jerre Van Hoose is honorary chairman of the committee that calls itself Advocates for Public Transit.

Was the future of mass transit on anyone's mind when they decided $50 million in tax debt for a baseball stadium was a grand idea?

Perry's Presents

Perry Webb and Danny Dotson apparently thought nothing of approving the $2,538.83 check for gifts from Calvin Mitchell Leather in October 2008.

As if that wasn't enough, Webb and McFarland approved an additional $7,054.57 for more goodies from the same place just a month later.

And once again a month after that for a grand total of $14,059.99!

Perhaps they needed new monogrammed luggage for their many out of town escapades.

But hey, as long as the in-crowd had a Merry Christmas and someone else is footing the bill, who cares. Right?

Ballpark Debt Wasn't Necessary

The Chamber of Commerce graciously paid for former Springdale Mayor Jerre Van Hoose's airfare from the luxurious resort town Jackson Hole, Wyoming to Salt Lake City, Utah and back again. I hesitate to call it a kickback, but I probably wouldn't hesitate at eyebrow-raising freebie.

It is possible the Mayor later paid them back, although three years of bank deposits show nothing with Van Hoose as a depositor. I suppose it is even possible he too was a compensated volunteer earning 15% commission for Chamber membership sales like the Moore's & Mullikin's. Isn't it?

Someone at the Chamber penciled in "S.T. Initiative I" on the AmEx statement which could mean Springdale Tomorrow Initiative, but it appears Van Hoose was the only attendee.

Surely the trip didn't have anything to do with his rejection just a month earlier of an offer by a Dallas-based sports investor to privately bankroll Springdale's ballpark, thus derailing the Chamber's pet project and sparing the already overburdened taxpayers from taking on an additional $50 million in debt.

Of course the original news article is no longer available, but a snippet can be located on ballparkdigest.com.

It has been suggested that Van Hoose is married to the sister of the majority owner of the prime ballpark area real estate just waiting to be developed. That's not a conflict of interest, is it?

Gas Guzzler

The newspaper article in which Webb was quoted as saying, "I didn't know Fayetteville was paying. It's been a conscious decision that you just don't bring it up" regarding his attempt to get out of paying property taxes on the Chamber's vehicle has conveniently disappeared.

According to Washington County Assessment records, the Chamber has just one vehicle and while we can all agree a Yukon isn't best known for it's fuel efficiency, doesn't it seem a bit far-fetched it needs $120 in gas a day? That's what was spent at Family Shop 8 in Springdale on May 17, 2008 in two separate transactions. A week later, on the same page of the American Express bill, they spent another $116 at gas stations in three separate transactions on the same day. Who can tell anything for sure. This page also categorizes a payment to American Association of Notaries "TMeals".

$112 at Westide Sinclair and another $105 at Kum & Go.

Another $100 / $81.00 at Kum & Go

On this page of the AmEx bill we find $383.00 spent on gas. Was Webb filling up the rig in Russellville the same day he hosted himself to the baseball suite?

The Iconoclast: Springdale Cowbirds Have No Shame

The Morning Brew

Each Thursday morning the Springdale Chamber of Commerce chooses a dues paying business for an event they call The Morning Brew.

I find it fascinating that the hosting business foots the bill for "light breakfast refreshments" but each attendee is also asked to fork over $2 to the Chamber. A small price to pay for the newtorking opportunity and a cup o' Joe? Maybe.

But something tells me these people likely pay in cash. The Chamber probably doesn't bring a credit card machine with them and a $2 check seems kind of silly.

I wonder how many weeks it takes to save enough of these convenient little dollar bills for a trip to the Land of Sunshine?

Field of Schemes

I don't think it's a secret we think the Arvest Ballpark was a poor excuse for economic development not to mention the feeling that taxpayers were duped into paying for it. Two years later, a couple of driving ranges are the only proposals that have surfaced for the area.
Not so says Perry Webb "This area transformed from people raising chickens and a bunch of hillbillies to the forefront of the corporate world."

A bunch of hillbillies. Really?

There has been a lot of discussion all across the country about sports stadiums being touted as the key to economic development and yet study after study finds they cost far more than they return.

The New York Times recently reported that "deals that were used to persuade taxpayers to finance their construction have in many cases backfired..."

Dale Rubin, of Salem, Oregon is an attorney who specializes in public subsidy issues. He recently finished a brief for a public policy group in which his concluions of law were that municipal subsidies for sports stadiums are unconstitutional. He said 'Almost all state laws say that no public entity should be aiding private enterprise...'

Brad Humphreys, Assistant Professor of Economics at the University of Maryland says "on average, professional sports reduces inflation-adjusted income per person by a small but statistically significant amount, roughly $40 per person per year. That figure is for every person ... not just people who attended games. So professional sports do not form the basis of a viable local economic development program.

Here are a few more articles. The list goes on and on and on...

Chamber Leads Charge for Stadium

Chamber Spends $250,000 to Study Stadium Area

The Twisted Logic of Stadium Construction

Bloomberg Excited Over Money-Losing Project

Top 10 Dumbest Reasons to Build a Stadium

Ballpark Digest

How Much Should a Ballpark Cost

Webb Loves the Land of Sunshine

It's obvious Perry loves Florida and visits as often as possible using the uber convenient Chamber of Commerce American Express card.

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 in Palm Beach - July 2008

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?

InvestorPoint.com

Politickeror.com
Arkansas Times Blog

Supporting the Business Community

The Springdale Chamber of Commerce thought it was such a great idea to have a networking coffee on Thursday mornings that they planned theirs right on top of the NWA-Biz-Net group.

Way to show your support for a group that was doing something to strengthen your business community.

Who's Cable Bill is the Chamber Paying?

Every month the Chamber of Commerce's cable bill remains steadily between $39-$45.

Out of the blue, in January 2008 we see a sudden increase to $151.95.

Of interest are the two separate account numbers written in at the top of the check (we've partially blocked to protect the "innocent") in addition to Perry Webb's name written in the corner.

Hmmmmm

My Bologna Has a First Name...

Chamber of Commerce cheerleader Steve Caraway reported in the Morning News on December 13 that the Chamber will separate private funds from public funds beginning in 2010.

Mayor Sprouse thinks this will take away a lot of those questions that some folks have.

In the Opinion Section of the Morning News a couple days later appeared HOW WE SEE IT - Less Room For Doubt in Springdale. "There is no need to question the chamber officials' integrity at this point because there's no evidence of wrongdoing" and "that's why we cheered Chief Executive Officer Perry Webb's recent announcement that starting in 2010, the chamber will segregate city funds from its other funds..."

I am hearing rumblings about whether the new changes are really for transparency and accountability or merely a shelter from future FOIA requests.

The Mystery Deepens

It is obvious that checks written from the Springdale Chamber of Commerce operating account either require or normally have two signatures. As they should.

We have uncovered another mysterious check that defies this basic rule of Accounting 101. This one was written for an employee's relocation. Whatever that means.

We never received any explanation, let alone a logical one for the other check we found that didn't follow the two signature rule.

Blah Blah Blah

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.

The letter also accuses Ms. Davis of not submitting the revenue portion of their shoddy bookkeeping to the CPA for inspection and goes so far as to reprimand Davis for questioning the integrity of the hardworking men and women of Springdale's business community.

In an effort to either clear the air or defend herself, Ms. Davis responded to Hanby insisting all documentation was provided to Ervin & Company including revenue. She also made her opinion quite clear that she feels the Springdale Chamber of Commerce is completely ineffective when it comes to economic development.

Meeting Minutes

I would hesitate to consider this a complete set, but these are all of the meeting minutes provided in response to a recent FOIA request.
One thing I found interesting right off the top is in the Board of Directors, 2nd Quarter 2009 minutes, Perry Webb states the Chamber "had $256,000 in sales" for the "I AM" campaign and "$206,000 of which was in cash".

I can't seem to uncover any information explaining what the "I AM" campaign even was. I'm sure someone out there can enlighten us.

In the meantime, I will continue going through bank deposits trying to find where this much cash was deposited. So far I haven't had any luck.

City Council Minutes 11-24-09

City Council Minutes 04-14-09

Board of Directors 1st Qtr 2009

Board of Directors 2007 Minutes

Board of Directors 2006 Minutes

Board of Directors 4th Qtr 2008

Image Task Force Minutes March – November 2008

Retail Image Task Force Minutes 9-18-08

Infrastructure Task Force Minutes March – September 2008

Government Task Force Minutes March – October 2008

Board of Directors Report 3rd Qtr 2008

RYSE Committee Meeting – Year Unknown

Retail Task Force Minutes 5-01-08

Job Force Growth Minutes May-June-Aug 2008

Springdale Leadership Council Mtg 5-27-08

Education Task Force Minutes April-June-July 2008

April – Loose Page Board Minutes

Retail Task Force Minutes 3-11-08

Board of Directors Minutes Jan 2008

All In The Family

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.

Party in Paris

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).

The Iconoclast: The Chicken that Laid The Golden Egg

Same Story in Little Rock

It's the same story in Little Rock...

Look Who's Hand Is Out,

Max Brantley 12/17/09

Corporate Welfare,

Max Brantley 12/14/09

Little Rock's Sacred Cow,

Max Brantley 12/10/09

Arkansas Blog

Your Tax Money at Work

FYI on FOI

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.

FOIA Used to Attack Volunteers

The 2010 Springdale budget went to the City Council for approval two weeks early according to a newspaper article November 17, 2009.

Perry Webb and Blake Hanby announced the Chamber will begin to segregate the previously co-mingled funds and claims they will use invoices to make payments from any of the city's funds. Webb also used this forum to make the statement that the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act has been used to "target the Chamber volunteers."

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.

There Will Be Layoffs!

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."

Hogs at the Trough

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

It's obvious they didn't spread the wealth of local dining dollars equally. There were a select few restaurants in town frequented almost daily.

Don't miss this blog & hilarious photo from The Iconoclast: Chickendale Cowbirds Chowdown

If You Count Churches....

We recently reported on the three charitable contributions we were able to locate made by the Chamber of Commerce.

You quickly let us know we left out the local churches, so we dug a little deeper and here is what we found.

According to the Chamber of Commerce website, there are 96 churches in the area. Of those 96, they deemed the following four worthy of donations:

First Presbyterian Church - Springdale, AR

Sweet Home Baptist Church - Camden, AR

Friendship Baptist Church - Springdale, AR

First Baptist Church - Springdale, AR

COPIES OF CANCELED THE CHECKS

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.

1) They received three separate donations and

2) They were the only church invited to enjoy the elite skybox for a Naturals baseball game.

The Iconoclast: The Cowbirds of Summer

Dogs on a Plane

This is an actual copy of sales activity for the Springdale Chamber of Commerce as provided by one local travel agency. This is not a complete list,  many were booked through other sources which were not provided although requested.

A guide created by us listing flight destinations based upon the airport codes listed on the travel agency’s report above.

This document is a quick compilation created to give you an overview of how those travel dollars are being spent.

The Iconoclast: Behind the Cowbird Curtain

The Iconoclast: Cowbird Cabana Commissioners

The Arkansas Times Blog - Investigative Reporting

A Philanthropic Organization?

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

The William J Clinton Foundation.......... $1,680