The Hotel-Motel Tax Allocation Board on Monday approved a series of reimbursements and grants to support three local events, voting to accept $3,008.75 in expenses for the Chambers Bluegrass and Barbecue Festival and to authorize $3,500 to the Prairie Chamber of Commerce for the Oakey Homestead Expo. The board also approved a final expense for Santa’s Christmas Village after members noted conflicting figures in the paperwork.

An official with the Prairie Chamber of Commerce told the board that the Bluegrass festival did not spend its full $5,000 award and that approximately $3,800 had been charged in expenses. “We saved a little money, didn't spend the whole $5,000,” the chamber representative said, and described radio advertising in the 4 Corners region and a porta-potty receipt among the documented costs. The representative estimated overall attendance at the festival at “right around 3,003 to 3,500 people.”

Board members asked whether the chamber could verify where attendees came from; the chamber representative said there is no simple gate-based method to determine origins but that an “AI Placer” report could be pulled to try to verify attendees’ home regions. The chair then moved to accept a reimbursement request for $3,008.75 for the Bluegrass and Barbecue Festival; recorded affirmative votes in the transcript include Allen, Majors, Hawkins and Williams.

On the Oakey Homestead Expo, the chamber representative described a multi-day, three-day event expected to draw out-of-state visitors, with “somewhere around a 100 to a 125 vendors” and workshops. The representative said the chamber would use the grant to rent the event center from Mace County and that the chamber sometimes fronts funds to secure contracts that must be paid in advance. A motion to approve the $3,500 grant to the Prairie Chamber carried with recorded yes votes from Majors, Williams, Hawkins and Allen.

The board also considered a final expense report for Santa’s Christmas Village. The transcript contains inconsistent amounts: the report is introduced as $2,220, the application was described as having been approved for $250, and the chair’s motion referenced $220. The board approved the expense motion as presented; recorded yes votes include Williams, Hawkins, Allen and Majors.

In brief announcements, the chamber representative invited the public to a downtown Christmas parade and carnival, noting roughly 60–65 entries and naming Sunny Lee of Fox 23 as grand marshal.

The board’s actions on Monday were procedural approvals of event reimbursements and grants; the meeting record shows the board moved candidates for payment and accepted final expense reports, with multiple members voting in the affirmative. The board did not, in the provided transcript pages, undertake any additional policy changes or larger budget reallocations.