CAPC reverses course, returns to previous meeting times

Matinee meetings of the Eureka Springs City Advertising and Promotion Commission are no more.

With little discussion, the CAPC voted 4-0 at its March 22 meeting at The Aud to return to a 6 p.m. start time for regular meetings and a 5 p.m. start for workshops. The commission voted at its February meeting to move the start time for all meetings and workshops to 3 p.m. but some commissioners said they have received emails from residents and stakeholders disapproving of the earlier start time.

“A lot of people like to be here,” said David Avanzino, commissioner and city council member. And at 3 p.m., I had to park down the street. There was no parking.”

Avanzino suggested moving workshops to 4 p.m. and meetings to 5 p.m. but the commission voted on going back to the previous start times after commissioner Mark Hicks — who had to call in to the meeting remotely because he was working at the lodging business he owns — said the later time worked best for him.

Commissioners Chris Jones and Jeff Carter were not present at the meeting.

“I just think it’s the fairest and most equitable thing for our stakeholders and everybody else that wants to be there.”

CAPC chair Chris Clifton proposed the idea in February to move up the meeting times, but at the March 22 meeting said “I don’t have a problem with what we used to do.”

The March 22 meeting was again not livestreamed on the city’s YouTube page; however, it was uploaded to the page later in the evening. There was no discussion regarding whether moving the meetings back to the evening slots would resume the live-streaming.

Beau Satori, a former Eureka Springs mayor and longtime critic of the CAPC, voiced his concerns about moving the time of the meetings during public comments — which were moved to near the end of the agenda after the vote to change back the start times was already voted on.

“The point of having public comments at the beginning of the meeting is to give the public an opportunity to give you information pertaining to what’s on your agenda so you have things to consider that you might now have considered before,” Satori said. “Moving public comments to the end of the meeting makes public comments rather pointless.

“In regard to meeting times, which is what I came to address, chairman Clifton suggested and you all agreed to have meetings at 3 p.m. because of his personal convenience. Chairman Clifton’s action to persuade you to have meetings at 3 p.m. was an effort to just push the city awareness out, along with his suggestion to not record the meetings, not stream the meetings and everything else he did to hide his performance from the community. … Thank you for changing it.”

Steve Holifield, a commissioner and city council member, said he agreed that public comments should be earlier in the meeting.

During commissioner comments, Clifton addressed the issue.

“There’s lots of points of view on how to operate, and I appreciate that,” Clifton said. “And so, like with our time, I’ve voiced my preference, but … it’s not about me. It’s about all of us. And so I think we resolved that.

“You know, I have a disagreement on the video piece, but you know what? That’s what we’re sticking with. But there’s no agenda. I really, really want to emphasize that I stated my opinion. The commission makes decisions. I think we’re all doing great, working together, working through our various opinions.”