Texarkana Advertising and Promotion Commission Meeting - January 22, 2026

The Texarkana Advertising and Promotion Commission met on January 22, 2026, at 4:30 PM. Commissioners present included Mills, Homes, Jewel, Right, and Brewer; Dotson was absent. The meeting addressed approval of prior minutes, a presentation on the City Passport for the upcoming air show, reallocation of unspent 2025 funds, extensive amendments to the commission's bylaws, a review of the A&P funding application, an update on delinquent A&P taxes, and a vacancy on the commission.

Consent Calendar

• Approval of Minutes: The minutes from October 21, 2025, and December 17, 2025, were approved unanimously.

Presentations

• Texarkana Air Show City Passport: Nicole Holtz presented the City Passport initiative, designed to encourage air show attendees to visit local businesses. The air show is scheduled for June 27, 2026, with related events on June 26. The passport will offer discounts and specials from early June through July 6. An estimated 20,000 attendees are expected. Commissioners expressed support for the initiative.

Funding Reallocation Requests (2025 to 2026)

Five entities requested reallocation of unspent 2025 funds to 2026; each was approved unanimously.

• Running WJ Ranch (Brittany Rogers): Requested $8,000 for promotional hats for a barrel race in June 2026, due to a miscommunication on hat orders.
• Intense Library: Represented by an unnamed speaker, requested reallocation of $44,000 for a second concert, moving it from March to a cooler date (proposed October 3) and potentially expanding the event. The speaker committed to refunding funds if not as successful as the first concert.
• Arts and Historic District (Jamie Finley): Requested $20,500 for the Loving Living Local contract, street banners, marketing/digital advertising, and downtown improvements (blade signs and kiosk updates).
• City Beautiful Commission (Velvet Cool): Requested $10,198 for downtown planters, Burger King Island renovation, State Line and Arkansas Boulevard Island renovation, I-30 welcome sign maintenance, Jefferson Island, water/electricity repairs, a crepe myrtle program with TASD, and sidewalk cleanup. The commission is also seeking grants.
• Parks and Recreation (unidentified representative): Requested $259,000 for a playground at Sand Flat Center (approx. $75,000), LED lighting upgrade at Pond Extra Fields ($100,000–$120,000), general maintenance ($50,000), NRPA conference ($10,000), and tournament advertising/promotion ($15,000). The speaker noted the playground and lighting projects experienced budget increases.

Bylaws Amendments

The commission debated and voted on several amendments to its bylaws, all passing unanimously.

• Prepared Food Definition (Article 1, Section 2): A statutory definition was added to clarify what constitutes taxable food under A&P law.
• Meeting Day Correction (Article 2, Section 1): Corrected from Wednesday to Tuesday at 4:30 PM.
• Quorum Requirement (Section 5): Changed from "majority of members present" to "majority of the whole commission" for transaction of business. This requires 4 votes on a 7‑seat commission.
• Suspension of Rules (Section 8): Changed to require a two‑thirds vote of the whole commission instead of the members present, to match the city board standard. (Motion by Commissioner Jewel, seconded.)
• Officer Elections (Article 4, Sections 2 & 3): The rotating officer schedule was replaced with annual elections; a Chairman Pro Tem provision was added for when both chairman and vice chairman are absent.
• Fund Balance Reserve (Section 8): Created a $150,000 minimum fund balance. No expenditure may bring the balance below this threshold except in a declared emergency approved by a two‑thirds vote of the commission, with a plan to restore the balance.

Review of A&P Funding Application

The commission reviewed the funding application form and noted that the requirement for financial statements had been omitted. Staff will add the requirement and present the revised application at the next meeting.

Delinquent A&P Taxes

Tyler (staff) reported that efforts to include A&P tax enforcement in a certificate of occupancy ordinance are ongoing. The ordinance was passed earlier in an emergency, and the A&P provision will be added later. The item will be placed on the city board agenda.

Commission Vacancy

The open seat has no applicants to date. Commissioners clarified that the position can be filled by a hotel, motel, or restaurant owner or manager per statute, not exclusively a hotel representative. Advertising will be expanded.

Next Meeting

The next regular meeting is set for April 21, 2026, at 4:30 PM.

Key Outcomes

• All reallocation requests and bylaw amendments were approved unanimously by roll‑call vote (5‑0 on each vote; Dotson absent).
• The funding application will be revised to include financial statements and brought back for approval.
• The delinquent A&P tax enforcement measure will be added to the certificate of occupancy ordinance and placed on the city board agenda.
• The commission vacancy continues to be advertised, targeting hotel, motel, and restaurant owners/managers.