Carrollton council approves application to Texas Events Trust Fund to support LIV Golf Dallas; Fleming votes no

Carrollton City Council voted Feb. 18 to authorize submission of an application to the Texas Events Trust Fund to support LIV Golf Dallas at Meridoe Golf Course, requesting a local share cap of $186,716. The motion to forward the application was made by Council member Axberg and seconded by Council member Palomo; the council approved the item with Council member Fleming recorded in opposition.

The item matters because the Events Trust Fund is a state program that rebuts a portion of an event’s incremental sales tax; if the state approves the city’s application, a state rebate would flow to the city and be applied against approved eligible expenses. Outlier, the tournament organizer, and LIV Golf presented the request and described last year’s event as a major economic draw to the region.

Economic and contractual details presented to council were as follows: Carrollton staff and tournament organizers said LIV Golf’s 2024 team championship at Meridoe drew large attendance and media exposure; organizers cited a $38,000,000 estimated economic impact and more than 2.7 million global viewers, with volunteer and local-concession programs that generated roughly $35,000 in commission for local groups. Outlier told council it submitted $4.75 million in eligible expenses to the state for 2024 and that the state approved a maximum event support payment last year. City staff said the city’s 2024 local share obligation ultimately was $85,926 after state adjustments; the current application asks for a local share not to exceed $186,716. Presenters cautioned the state may reduce approved amounts after reviewing the application.

James Clark, vice president of Outlier and tournament director for LIV Golf Dallas, described operational results and the proposed change in disbursement mechanics: "This amount is the event local share cost to the city," Clark said, and he explained that under the proposed host agreement the city would reimburse itself first from any disbursement and any remainder would go to the tournament. Economic-development manager Chris Simczyk reviewed the 2024 numbers and the process to apply for the state program.

Council members asked for supporting documentation multiple times. Several council members said they wanted to see the economic-impact study or underlying sales- and hotel-tax data before making a decision; presenters said Outlier uses a proprietary analytics platform it calls Recentive and that the detailed reports are not in Outlier’s direct public packet. A member of the public, former council member Adam Holter, urged council to withhold approval until independent or city-reviewed economic analysis is provided and raised concerns about the transparency of the proposed reimbursement arrangement.

City staff and the city attorney told council the application stage is only the first step: if the state approves an amount, the city and tournament will still have to negotiate an event support contract that details eligible expenses, payments for public-safety staffing and logistics, and the order of disbursement. The city attorney also said the governor’s office and state reviewers examine event-support contracts before disbursement.

What happens next: with council approval the city will forward the application to the Texas Events Trust Fund for state review; the state may approve a different local/share cap than the one requested. If the state approves an amount, staff said the city would negotiate and return to council with any final host agreement or event-support contract as required by city policy and state review. The council’s vote Tuesday authorized only the application, not a final agreement.

Votes at a glance

- Application to the Texas Events Trust Fund to support LIV Golf Dallas at Meridoe Golf Course, local share cap requested: $186,716 — Motion by Council member Axberg; second by Council member Palomo — Outcome: approved; Council member Fleming recorded as voting no. (Full roll-call and final state-determined amounts will appear in the city’s official minutes and in the subsequent event-support contract.)