Michael Tilley of Talk Business & Politics discusses a tax election reporting error in Crawford County, the approval of a grant for the Alma Public Library, and the arrival of a new tourism director in Fort Smith.
Tax election reporting error may cost Crawford County millions of dollars
A reporting error on the part of Crawford County officials could cost the county more than $3.5 million in sales tax revenue during the last quarter of the year. According to the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration (DFA), “there will be a three-month period in which this sales and use tax is not collected” in Crawford County. Former Crawford County judge Dennis Gilstrap said the county certified the election, but some paperwork that was supposed to get filed did not in time.
Alma Public Library finally accepts grant money from American Library Association
A week after voting to put off a $10,000 grant for the Alma Public Library, the Crawford County quorum court reconvened for a special meeting on August 29 to unanimously vote to accept the grant from the American Library Association. Initially, Justice of the Peace Jayson Peppas said an unnamed constituent sent him information that if the county accepted the money from the American Library Association that the Alma library would be "beholden" to the group and the books they wanted to put in the library. Eva White, interim director of the Crawford County Library system, said in a memo that the money was to replace the library's front doors to bring them into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
A new tourism director installed in Fort Smith
Ashleigh Bachert, originally from Tulsa, was named the new executive director of Fort Smith Convention & Visitors Bureau. Bachert previously served as vice president for Tulsa Regional Tourism. Her official start date is mid-September and plans to spend her first two months with Convention & Visitors Bureau employees and stakeholders to learn and develop what makes Fort Smith special and what challenges may be ahead.
