FAYETTEVILLE — Local sales tax money likely will continue to pad the University of Arkansas Athletic Department's budget after university officials met with the city's promotion commission Monday.
The Advertising and Promotion Commission gives out about $300,000 annually from hotel, motel and restaurant taxes to groups that ask for a financial boost for events.
At A Glance
Fayetteville Advertising And Promotion Commission Grants
Total Grants, 2013: $294,278
Total Grants, since 2000: $2.5 million
Grants to the University of Arkansas, 2013: $14,400
Grants to the University, since 2000: $83,900
University of Arkansas Athletic Department Budget, 2013-14: $80.7 million
Source: Staff Report
The commission invited the university to explain why it should keep getting several thousand dollars for NCAA and Southeastern Conference tournaments and championships. The athletic department's 2013-14 budget is almost $81 million, greater than the budget for Washington County.
The amount the commission gives the university is small: $14,400 last year for golf, baseball and track and field events, or 5 percent of the total granted by the commission.
Without the commission's help, the university might not win the chance to host major sports competitions, associate athletic directors Chris Pohl and Matt Trantham told the commissioners.
"If we want to continue to have these, we have to be competitive," Pohl said. "Those communities embracing NCAA championships at all levels are in the best position."
Some commissioners protested last year's grants because they were such a tiny drop in the athletic bucket but could be used for another organization. Commissioners Matthew Petty and Hannah Withers said they should focus on small or emerging events that need the help.
The five other commissioners countered the money should also go to the best investments. The money helps maintain a good relationship with the university, they said.
The competition for the chance to host regional and national tournaments is increasingly fierce, Pohl told the panel, and every bit counts.
The money helps pay for signs and other advertising, which can cost tens of thousands of dollars, she said. Other money is therefore freed up for hospitality efforts to make Fayetteville stand out as a host.
Pohl pointed to cities like Omaha and Oklahoma City, long-term hosts for the College World Series of men's baseball and women's softball. The university wants Fayetteville to hold that same status for indoor track and field championships, which in recent years have gone elsewhere, she said.
"Support is vital," agreed Trantham. "If we don't get this support, I don't know where that takes us."
The commission's investment is worth it, Pohl added, because university events annually bring in hundreds of thousands of visitors who spend tens of millions of dollars. Each football game brings in $5 million, he said.
Petty, who has spoken against the grants, said he'd been swayed.
"I'd still like to see examples from other communities to see how we stack up," he added. "Right now, we're giving you about five or 10 thousand dollars a pop, but we don't know if that's too much or too little."
Withers said she also was more comfortable with awarding the university money.
"It was really eye-opening to me to see $10,000 or $20,000 isn't just a token gesture," she told Pohl.
The next round of applications for commission grants are due April 1.
NW News on 03/11/2014