BENTONVILLE — The price tag for meeting the state’s threshold for a vote on alcohol sales in Benton County came to just short of half a million dollars, most of it shouldered by Walmart heirs Steuart and Tom Walton.
The brothers donated a combined $425,000 of Keep Dollars in Benton County’s $485,000 between February and the end of July, according to financial documents filed Wednesday with the state Ethics Commission.
By The Numbers
Financial Report
The financial report of Keep Dollars in Benton County for July.
Contributions: $75,000 ($37,500 from Steuart Walton and $37,500 from Tom Walton)
Expenses: $64,482 ($64,395 to National Ballot Access and $85 to Arvest Bank)
Balance: $10,517
Source: Arkansas Ethics Commission
Previous efforts to place a retail alcohol sales vote on the ballot in the county failed, with several organizers saying they didn’t have the money or time to complete the petition-gathering task.
Keep Dollars in Benton County gathered 56,635 signatures in five months with Walton backing. The Benton County Clerk’s Office certified 43,295 of those signatures in late July. No challengers emerged by the deadline to contest certification, guaranteeing the issue a spot on the Nov. 6 ballot.
The group spent $472,796 during the effort. A majority of the money was paid to National Ballot Access, a Georgia firm hired to provide boots on the ground collecting signatures. The company received $64,395 paid in two installments in July.
Marshall Ney, spokesman for Keep Dollars in Benton County, said future expenses will likely be minimal for the ballot initiative. The group is making the leap from a signature gathering to a get-out-and-vote campaign, he said.
Ney said the group hopes contributions will come from a more diverse group. The Walton brothers have been supportive of the drive and are “very committed to the ongoing growth and economic development of the area,” according to the goup’s website.
Keep Dollars in Benton County recently updated the site to include additional information and a donation section. The group will continue reporting contributions to the Ethics Commission until the election, he said.