The Little Rock Advertising and Promotion Commission approved a $3.7 million adjustment to the 2020 operating budget for the city's Convention and Visitors Bureau, accounting for changes in expenses and revenue resulting from the coronavirus pandemic.
The commission approved $12,290,376 in operating expenses for the city's marketing arm last year. Because of the pandemic's impact on the convention industry and the use of its facilities, the bureau anticipates spending less on operations at the Robinson Center and the Statehouse Convention Center, as well as at its other facilities.
The new budget, based on the bureau's financial forecast as of July 31, also takes into account cuts in parking operations, meeting services and payroll.
The bureau furloughed 65 full-time employees in April, about two weeks after the first coronavirus case in Arkansas was announced.
Additionally, the agency anticipates a $2.7 million cut to administrative expenses and nearly $7 million less in revenue than it initially planned for 2020.
The commission voted to adjust the budget at its regular meeting Tuesday.