The Monticello Advertising and Promotions Commission met at noon on Friday, May 17, in the Hampton Inn Conference Room. Commissioners present were Shannon Herman, Mike Wigley, Kim Patel, and Annette Taylor, along with A&P Assistant Ryan Copico.
The commissioners opened the meeting by approving the minutes from the April meeting, and then they approved the financial report from April.
The commission then voted to pay three invoices related to the entertainment from Spring on the Square. The first invoice was to pay the Palmers $1,500. The second invoice paid the Borchardts $500. The third invoice paid Steven Stringer $500 for running sound and DJing the event. Copico noted that Baptist Health Medical Center-Drew County made a $1,500 sponsorship donation which would in turn cover the amount paid to the Palmers. Copico added that the only outstanding invoice was for the port-a-potties, and he did not know the total at the time of the meeting.
The commission also voted to pay the invoice for the July fireworks display. $5,000 was approved to be paid to Hawg Wylde Pyrotechnics for the display. This event is scheduled for July 3, at the Monticello Sports Complex. There was talk about potentially hosting this event at Lake Monticello in the future.
The next item discussed was the wet/dry township topic. Copico presented the commission with information from the Arkansas Alcohol Beverage Control Board. This information contained the ABC rule book and regulations and guidelines about city populations.
In last month’s meeting, the commission voted to draw up a resolution stating that the commission supports the wet/dry initiative being placed on a ballot. It was discussed that before any further action was taken a meeting with City Attorney Whit Barton should be held to make sure the resolution is correct and legal.
The commission also discussed the welcome signs that are placed to the North, South, East, and West ends of the city limits. Taylor suggested bricking them up from the bottom and doing away with the flower beds to eliminate maintenance. Wigley argued that once the signs were designed and built A&P turned them over to the city, making this a City of Monticello issue rather than one for the A&P Commission to deal with.
Finally, filling the open commissioner spot was discussed. There is currently one open slot due to the resignation of Glenda Nichols. The commission agreed that they would consult with Attorney Barton again to determine what is classified as “tourism”, and if it would be possible to move Taylor to the tourism slot and appoint someone new into the at-large slot.
The next meeting was scheduled for noon on Monday, June 17.
