Citizens like convention center; prefer new government form

Editor’s note: This is the second of three stories based on a recent The City Wire Election 2010 survey of 600 likely Fort Smith voters. Poll results from the Fort Smith mayoral race and two city director elections (Position 5 and 6) will be released Friday. Results from respondents about the convention center and the city form of government will be released Monday (Oct. 25). Link here for the first story in the series, and link here for the second story.

Two of the more interesting issues in Fort Smith politics of late have been the Fort Smith Convention Center and the form of municipal government.

But what do Fort Smith residents think about the two issues?

A recent The City Wire Election 2010 survey finds that a plurality of Fort Smith residents surveyed are fans of the convention center, but would prefer another form of city government.

The survey, conducted Oct. 19, asked the following questions and produced the noted results.
• A growing issue in Fort Smith is how to fund the operations of the Fort Smith Convention Center beyond 2011. Do you think the Fort Smith Convention Center has had a positive or negative impact on the regional economy?
47% — Positive
30% — Negative
23% — Don’t Know

• Fort Smith now operates under the council-city manager form of government, in which the elected city board hires an administrator to manage city functions. The other option is when an elected mayor manages city functions with oversight from an elected board. Which form of government do you believe is best for Fort Smith?
36% — Council-City manager
43% — Mayor-Council
21% — Undecided

“There is a definite split decision on the possibility of changing the form of government Fort Smith currently employs,” said Roby Brock, owner of Talk Business Research. Brock, a content partner with The City Wire, and Hendrix College conducted the survey.

Continuing, Brock noted: “Without further data or insight from citizens, it is difficult to determine what may be causing mixed reviews for two possible outcomes — the status quo or a change to a Mayor-Council local government. This poll shows there is an attitude among voters to exploring options.”

As to the convention center issue, Brock said the poll indicates “a more robust debate about the center’s future” is required to adequately gauge what citizens believe.

Brock’s analysis noted: “While 47% view the center as a positive contributor, one can argue that 53% don’t view it as a positive. Conversely, one may argue that less than a third see the convention center as negative to the community. Recent debates over funding issues could be contributing to this dissatisfaction. These results may also reflect a lack of education to the public as to the positive benefits the convention center brings to the local economy. Again, deeper exploration of this issue would likely yield more insight on this subject.”

The Fort Smith board of directors spent most of 2008 and 2009 trying to come up with a solution to plug the annual deficit. A state turnback program ends in June 2010 from which the city has received about $1.8 million a year. In 2010 the city will receive only $888,723 in 2010. A fund balance will allow the city to cover the convention center shortfall in 2011.

A recent report, prepared by the convention center staff, showed an adjusted $20.2 million economic impact in 2009 — well above the about $1.28 million to operate the center. The impact for the first half of 2010 is estimated at $12.34 million. Revenue for the first nine months of 2010 is $466,872, up 6.19% over the same period in 2009.

The board recently instructed the staff to draw up three referendum questions for a special election ballot:
• A half-percent prepared food tax to cover convention center costs only, and estimated to raise $900,000 annually;
• A 1% percent prepared food tax to cover convention center costs that would raise an estimated $1.8 million annually. The annual allocation would be $1 million for the convention center, $240,000 for a convention center maintenance fund, $250,000 for Marshals Museum operating costs, $60,000 for various festivals, $50,000 for Bass Reeves monument (2012 and 2013 only), and $50,000 for arts community (beginning in 2014);
• Reallocation of 0.5% street tax funds to cover only the annual costs to operate the convention center. The reallocation is estimated to raise about $943,000 annually.

As to the form of government, Fort Smith Mayor Ray Baker has made it clear he believes the head of city government should be elected and directly accountable to voters instead of hired and managed by the 7-member board of directors.

Under Fort Smith’s city administrator form of government, the board has the power to hire and fire a city administrator who is in charge of the day-to-day activities of the city. The mayor’s role is primarily ceremonial, although the mayor has the power to veto — with a veto overturned by a 5-2 vote — and presides over regular board meetings and special sessions.

POLL BACKGROUND
This poll was conducted by Talk Business Research and Hendrix College. The poll, which has a margin of error of +/-4%, was completed using IVR survey technology on Oct. 19, among 600 registered voters in the Fort Smith city limits who indicated they were likely to vote in the November elections. Our random sample of potential respondents came from a pool of 7,538 registered voters residing in the Fort Smith city limits.

The demographic breakdown for The City Wire Election 2010 survey was:
• Age
4%: Under the age of 30
11%: Between the ages of 30 and 44
40.5%: Between the Ages of 45 and 64
44.5%: 65 or older

• Ethnicity
3%: African-American
4%: Asian-American
87%: Caucasian or White
2%: Latino
4%: Other

• Gender
54%: Male
46%: Female