Clovis Lodgers Tax Board Meeting Summary (November 18, 2025)
Clovis Lodgers Tax Board Meeting Summary (November 18, 2025)
The City of Clovis Lodgers Tax Board convened on November 18, 2025, to review funding requests totaling $240,000 from various organizations. With a remaining available balance of approximately $56,000 after previous allocations, the Board faced significant budget constraints, necessitating partial funding or deferral for many applicants. The meeting featured presentations from multiple groups, including rodeo associations, sports tournaments, cultural series, and event planners, focusing on their economic impact and community benefits. Ultimately, the Board allocated a total of $66,000 across seven applicants, with several organizations receiving initial funding with the requirement to submit for remainder in future meetings, while the Music Festival received no funding for this fiscal year.
Consent Calendar
- Approved the minutes from the September 9, 2025 meeting unanimously upon motion and second.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Cheryl Robinson (Junior Rodeo Cowboys Association): Expressed that their event brings approximately $93,750 to the community and cited a 25-40% sales increase for local restaurants. Stated a strong preference for staying in Clovis hotels and spending locally, noting they are new to the Lodgers Tax application process.
- Craig Cook (Texaco Municipal Schools): Reported that last year's tournament generated near $350 in attendance and approximately $34,000 in combined hotel and dining expenses for Clovis. Expressed appreciation for the Board's support and detailed their efforts to brand the City of Clovis on tournament materials.
- Jerry Fuljam (Curry County Mounted Patrol): Represented the Pioneer Day Rodeo, noting it is a professional event with 500 expected contestants from multiple states. Expressed a need for initial funding to begin advertising immediately, acknowledging the timeline constraints and the fact that reimbursement is contingent on City Commission approval.
- Linda McConnell (High Plains Junior Rodeo): Highlighted that their recent event drew families from across the region, staying in local motels and trailers. Expressed pride in their promotional efforts, which include branded jackets and saddles, and asked for clarification on whether their funding request covered both their upcoming and finals events.
- Sarah Stevens & Jeff Lynn (Clovis Civic Center/Jackson Wines): Presented the Clovis Wedding Expo, aiming to increase local wedding bookings. Explained that while most hotel stays are from the weddings themselves, some vendors from out-of-town do require overnight stays. Stated they lack precise attendance figures for vendor arrivals but strive for local representation.
- Sherry (Dragon Main): Expressed that attendance decreased at a recent event after lowering radio marketing. Stated they typically begin advertising early (February) and are seeking funding to restore radio marketing levels for the upcoming April event.
- Representative (Little Ballers/NFL Winter Games): Expressed that the event is a first-time request with high interest, noting a waitlist of 16 for teams and potential participation from out-of-state. Clarified that the request covers the NFL flag football tournament and that personnel costs for referees and concessions are ineligible for reimbursement.
- Christy Mendoza & Nikki Lovett (Cultural Arts Series): Represented the 25th anniversary of the series. Expressed that their recent art outreach engaged all third graders in town. Stated that while some billboards are currently in West Texas and northern New Mexico, they aim for broader local visibility.
- Freddie (Black Pearl Boxing Legacy Events): Expressed pride in their community achievement awards and new magazine. Stated their upcoming February event will feature local champions and a new magazine edition featuring Freddie.
- Mel Eperthinner (Board Member): Expressed appreciation for the high volume of interest and the economic benefits brought to the city, noting that inflation and advertising costs are making fundraising difficult.
Discussion Items
- Budget Review: Mr. Howalt presented the financial status, noting a budget surplus of roughly $18,000 above the $290,000 fiscal year budget, leaving a total of approximately $380,000 available. He warned that allocating the full $240,000 in requests would result in a negative balance of about $14,000, as only $226,000 remained after previous allocations.
- Eligibility Clarifications: The Board discussed specific ineligible expenses, noting that event space rental (e.g., the $3,000 requested by the Junior Rodeo Cowboys Association) and personnel costs (e.g., referees and concession staff for Little Ballers) are not reimbursable under Lodgers Tax guidelines. It was clarified that promotional items must be given away, not sold.
- Allocation Strategy: The Board deliberated on how to distribute the remaining ~$56,000 (adjusted to $60,000 for rounding) among the nine groups. They determined that due to budget limits, the Music Festival would receive no funds this cycle, while several groups (Mounted Patrol, High Plains Junior Rodeo, Dragon Main) would receive partial initial funding with the understanding they must return for remaining funds.
Key Outcomes
- Motion Carried (Unanimous): The Board approved the following allocation totaling approximately $66,000:
- Junior Rodeo Cowboys Association: $4,000 (Reduced from $10,000 due to ineligible rental costs).
- Clovis Music Festival: $0 (Deferred entirely).
- Texaco Municipal Schools Basketball Tournament: $4,000.
- Curry County Mounted Patrol (Pioneer Day Rodeo): $10,000 (Initial funding; requires return for remainder).
- High Plains Junior Rodeo: $10,000 (Initial funding; requires return for July finals).
- Clovis Wedding Expo: $5,000 (Increased from initial $0 consideration).
- Dragon Main: $8,000 (Increased from initial $0 consideration).
- Little Ballers (NFL Flag Football): $5,000 (Reduced from $6,000 to remove ineligible personnel costs).
- Cultural Arts Series: $7,000.
- Black Pearl Boxing Legacy Events: $3,000 (Reduced from $5,000 to match promotional item request).
- Next Steps: The Board recommended these allocations to the City Commission for final approval, noting that funds cannot be legally spent or reimbursed until the Commission meets (scheduled for Thursday following this meeting) to endorse the Lodgers Tax Board's recommendations.
- Scheduling: The next Lodgers Tax Board meeting is scheduled for January 13, 2025, at 5:30 PM at the North Annex building. Applicants receiving partial funds are required to return to the January meeting to request the remaining balance.
Meeting Transcript
Yes. No. I know. Pronounce your name for her again. E Parthener. Oh, that's a volume switch. They don't ever turn off. I was like, dang, she really jacked up Padilla. Whatever you are. Good evening. Welcome to Lodgers Tax. It is five thirty on the eighteenth of November. Uh, we will call the City of Clovis Lodgers Tax Meeting to order. We're going to start with roll call. Uh, will the clerk please call roll? Thomas Martin. Here. Alfred Bryant. Here. Commissioner Garza. Here. Latasha Padilla. Here. Mel Eperthinner. Here. Jonathan Nelson. Here. Great job on Mel's last name. Um we will start with approval of minutes and then we'll go over um the budget that we have for this evening. Excuse me. Um last meeting was on September 9th. Are there any corrections to the minutes? Seeing none, do I have a motion to approve? I'll make a motion. I'll second. Uh first motion by Freddie, second by Tasha. All in favor? Aye. All opposed. Uh motion carries. Um before we begin, Mr. Howalt, do you want to review the funds that are in the Lodger's tax coffer? Certainly, thank you, uh, Mr. Chairman. And so the city of Clovis at the beginning of this fiscal year, we actually budgeted about two hundred and ninety thousand dollars total for the fiscal year for lodgers tax. Uh, we're running about eighteen, almost nineteen thousand dollars above budget right now, so giving us around three hundred and eighty thousand uh to allocate. Uh, during your September meeting, you allocated seventy-five thousand dollars, uh, which leaves you with approximately two hundred and twenty-six thousand dollars for the remaining uh board meetings uh this fiscal year. Uh tonight, you guys have two hundred and forty thousand dollars worth of requests that you're going to be hearing. And so if you did allocate uh that full $240,000, uh like I previously mentioned, you had about $225,000 in the fund. That would leave you with a negative balance of about $14,000.
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