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OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

Texarkana A&P Commission Meeting - Budget & Bond Discussion - October 21, 2025

Board of Directors & Commissions — Tuesday, October 21, 2025

BodyTexarkana, Arkansas

SessionBoard of Directors & Commissions

DateTuesday, October 21, 2025

StatusFILED

Video Record

0:00 / 1:04:25

Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

Speaker numbers apply only to this recording.

Speaker 1

0:08

All right, before we get started,

Unassigned speaker

0:11

uh

Speaker 1

0:11

just want to send um a kind reminder, if you will silence your cell phones, all right.

0:30

We have the agenda before us.

0:32

We'll go ahead and call the meeting to order time now.

0:36

Roll call, please.

Speaker 2

0:39

Neils present director drool

Speaker 1

0:43

here

Speaker 2

0:44

graaff absent homes here, right?

0:49

Here Dodson is absent.

0:54

Quorum is present.

Unassigned speaker

0:55

All

Speaker 1

0:55

right, quorum is present.

0:57

We're gonna go to the next item.

0:58

The next item is approval of the minutes.

1:01

The minutes have been sent to you and they are before you now.

1:05

If you have viewed the minutes,

Unassigned speaker

1:08

uh

Speaker 1

1:11

please uh let me know if there's a motion on the floor.

Unassigned speaker

1:16

I

Speaker 3

1:17

make a motion that we accept the uh meeting um agenda second,

Unassigned speaker

1:21

all

Speaker 1

1:22

right.

1:22

It's been motion and second uh to accept the minutes um uh as read uh roll call, please.

Speaker 2

1:34

Meals here, director Jewel,

Speaker 1

1:37

yes.

Speaker 2

1:38

Homes, yes, right?

1:41

Yes, motion pass

Speaker 1

1:45

motion carries.

1:46

Next item we have on the on the list is approval of the physical year 2026 budget.

Speaker 4

2:13

The budget should have been in your packet, the one that was sent out on in the packet on Friday.

2:22

There was a slight revision to the the budget that is now placed on your desk, and the only revision was the parks 267,000 that was reallocated from 2024 to 2025.

2:39

So it changed how much the restricted reserves were and increased the parks parks budget for 2025.

2:50

There was no it doesn't affect your fund balance or anything like that.

2:54

That was the only change that was made.

Speaker 2

2:57

Okay.

Speaker 4

2:58

As far as the 2026 budget goes, our projected revenues will be about the same as for 2025.

3:10

We do an average of several years to come up with the projections, so they're kind of in line with what we will receive for 2025.

3:22

Also, the expenses for 2026, since the commission voted to not allocate any funding for any organizations, you will see all the different zeros, and the only thing that's put into the 2026 budget is everything that you are contracted for.

3:44

So that would be the legal fees, the advertising is always in the budget.

3:51

Um the recenter 60,000, 50,000 for the finance department, and the park superintendent salary and ADC workers' salary.

4:03

Also, the bond payment for the bond for the park for world park for that project is also in the 2026 budget.

4:14

So with all of those expenses in the budget, we're at about 1.2 million and the expenses, and then you'll end with the fund balance of about 331,000.

4:31

The AMP fund should always have about at the least at the minimum of 150,000 in fund balance.

Unassigned speaker

4:46

Over that in 2027, if you decide to allocate more money, then you you can out to different organizations, but we will still have if you do issue the bond at 26, the 750,000 payment will be in 27 as well.

Speaker 1

5:05

All right, 27.

5:07

Gotcha.

Speaker 4

5:08

So it will be it will be a constant payment there until the bond is paid off if you decide to issue the bond in 26.

5:17

And that was based on the project that Tyler review with you guys a few meetings ago.

Speaker 5

5:27

How long of a bond is that?

5:28

How many years?

5:30

15.

5:31

15?

5:32

Yes,

Unassigned speaker

5:32

sir.

Speaker 6

5:35

What's the life expectancy

Speaker 7

5:37

of that turf?

5:38

Uh the life expectancy is 20.

5:42

Um, but with with the initial project, there's a lot more that happens than just turf.

5:50

I mean, you're talking about an entire 12 to 18 inch section that is built.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Tourism Promotion██████████████████████████████████████38%

Budget Equity Analysis███████████████████19%

Economic Development██████████████14%

Parks and Recreation█████████████13%

Procedural█████████9%

Public Engagement███████7%

Summary of Proceedings

Texarkana A&P Commission Regular Meeting - Budget Approval & Bond Discussion - October 21, 2025

The Texarkana Advertising and Promotion (A&P) Commission convened on October 21, 2025, with a quorum present. The meeting focused heavily on the approval of the Fiscal Year 2026 budget, the potential issuance of a $7 million bond for park improvements at World Park, and a detailed performance review from the city's contracted advertising agency, Horal Brand Kind.

Consent Calendar

The commission unanimously approved the minutes from the previous meeting.

Discussion Items

FY 2026 Budget and Proposed Park Bond

Tyler (staff) presented the FY 2026 budget. The budget reflects a projected fund balance of approximately $331,000, including a $750,000 bond payment for a 15-year park improvement project (turf fields and associated infrastructure at World Park). The budget also reflects the commission's decision to not allocate funding for external organizations, resulting in zero-grant lines, with expenses limited to contracted obligations (legal, advertising, Rec Center, salaries, etc.).
Extensive discussion occurred regarding the bond. Tyler explained that the commission had previously given consensus to proceed, but no formal vote was taken. Commissioner George noted he was not at the previous meeting. The body agreed to place a formal vote on proceeding with the bond on the next meeting's agenda.
Commissioners debated the economic impact of the project. Staff noted that Texarkana, Texas conducted a study questioning the return on a similar investment. Tyler offered to run an economic impact analysis using IMPLAN software to provide concrete data. He will also share the Texas-side study.
A commissioner expressed full support for the project, citing potential benefits such as increased tax revenue, youth engagement, and decreased crime. Other commissioners expressed apprehension and questioned the "squeeze" of the bond payment reducing available grant funds to ~$150,000 annually, down from $2 million distributed previously.
Discussion touched on the current usage of the fields (Rec league only, not open to the general public) and the need for hotels/restaurants on the Arkansas side near I-30/I-49 to capture tourism dollars. Staff clarified that the Chamber of Commerce handles retail and hotel recruitment.

Advertising Agency Report (Horal Brand Kind)

Danny Hamblett of Horal Brand Kind presented a performance report since the firm began working with the commission in 2024. Key metrics included over 4 million total impressions, high organic search traffic to the new "Experience Texarkana" website, and strong engagement on social media posts promoting local events (Picklefest, Air Show, State Line photo spot).
Danny discussed geofencing ads targeting rest stops and visitor centers, and the distribution of a printed visitor guide to 12 travel centers across Arkansas.
Agency representatives recommended strengthening the partnership program with local businesses in the hotel/restaurant tax district through window clings and regular visits.
Commissioners discussed the potential for creating promotional packages (e.g., QR codes/discounts) for tournament visitors to drive local foot traffic. A restaurant owner on the commission noted he did not see an impact from recent tournaments, while a bowling alley owner did. The agency offered to help facilitate a stronger connection between the A&P fund and local businesses.
The agency expressed a desire to develop metrics that directly tie advertising efforts to tax revenue (ROI), which the commission strongly supported.
A commissioner praised the agency's "5 Things to Do" social media posts.

Key Outcomes

Budget Approved: The commission voted to approve the FY 2026 budget. The motion carried (6-0). (Roll call: Meals: Yes, Jewel: Yes, Homes: Yes, Right: Yes, Dotson: Yes, Brewer: Yes. Dotson's presence was noted for the record despite being initially absent).
Bond Vote Scheduled: The commission agreed to schedule a formal vote on issuing the $7 million park bond at the next regular meeting. An economic impact report from staff is expected prior to the vote.
Agency Direction: The advertising agency was directed to prepare an economic impact projection for the park bond using their IMPLAN software and to continue developing the business partnership program.
Application Review Tabled: The item to review and amend the A&P funding application and recipient package was introduced but no action was taken.

Meeting Transcript

All right, before we get started, uh just want to send um a kind reminder, if you will silence your cell phones, all right. We have the agenda before us. We'll go ahead and call the meeting to order time now. Roll call, please. Neils present director drool here graaff absent homes here, right? Here Dodson is absent. Quorum is present. All right, quorum is present. We're gonna go to the next item. The next item is approval of the minutes. The minutes have been sent to you and they are before you now. If you have viewed the minutes, uh please uh let me know if there's a motion on the floor. I make a motion that we accept the uh meeting um agenda second, all right. It's been motion and second uh to accept the minutes um uh as read uh roll call, please. Meals here, director Jewel, yes. Homes, yes, right? Yes, motion pass motion carries. Next item we have on the on the list is approval of the physical year 2026 budget. The budget should have been in your packet, the one that was sent out on in the packet on Friday. There was a slight revision to the the budget that is now placed on your desk, and the only revision was the parks 267,000 that was reallocated from 2024 to 2025. So it changed how much the restricted reserves were and increased the parks parks budget for 2025. There was no it doesn't affect your fund balance or anything like that. That was the only change that was made. Okay. As far as the 2026 budget goes, our projected revenues will be about the same as for 2025. We do an average of several years to come up with the projections, so they're kind of in line with what we will receive for 2025. Also, the expenses for 2026, since the commission voted to not allocate any funding for any organizations, you will see all the different zeros, and the only thing that's put into the 2026 budget is everything that you are contracted for. So that would be the legal fees, the advertising is always in the budget. Um the recenter 60,000, 50,000 for the finance department, and the park superintendent salary and ADC workers' salary. Also, the bond payment for the bond for the park for world park for that project is also in the 2026 budget. So with all of those expenses in the budget, we're at about 1.2 million and the expenses, and then you'll end with the fund balance of about 331,000. The AMP fund should always have about at the least at the minimum of 150,000 in fund balance. Over that in 2027, if you decide to allocate more money, then you you can out to different organizations, but we will still have if you do issue the bond at 26, the 750,000 payment will be in 27 as well. All right, 27. Gotcha. So it will be it will be a constant payment there until the bond is paid off if you decide to issue the bond in 26. And that was based on the project that Tyler review with you guys a few meetings ago. How long of a bond is that?

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