Mesquite arts commission praises successful First Friday, asks gallery to collect vendor sales tax through December

The Mesquite Public Arts Commission on Oct. 20 reviewed its inaugural First Friday art walk, heard a detailed post-event accounting from the volunteer committee and voted to have the Mesquite Fine Arts Center continue collecting vendor fees and sales tax through the December First Friday while city staff investigates the formal reporting process.

Judy, who led the volunteer committee, told the commission the Oct. 7 event drew a large local crowd and named sponsors including Reliance Connects ($500), Mesquite Entertainment ($300) and a $150 contribution attributed to Councilman Karen Felding/ERA. "Our total expenses to date are $3,457.78," Judy said, and she added that sponsor donations would cover additional costs.

Organizers flagged navigation and vendor issues as the top operational problems. Judy said many attendees could not find event locations and proposed post-style directional signs pegged at roughly $90 each; the committee estimated needing about eight such signs. She also raised vendor coordination and food-truck cancellations as issues organizers must solve before expanding the event further.

A longer operational question centered on who should collect vendor fees and handle sales-tax reporting if the event grows beyond the art-center campus and stretches down Yucca Street. "We have to decide how we handle that," Judy said, describing an option in which a single coordinator compiles vendor information and a special-event sales-tax number would be used. Marco, speaking for city staff, agreed to "look into" the city's requirements and the process for releasing collected sales-tax funds to the Department of Revenue.

Chair Karen Miscimmons moved that the commission "ask the art gallery to continue with the collection and payment of those sales taxes through the December First Friday while Marco investigates what we can do from our end," and the motion was seconded and approved by voice vote.

Commissioners also discussed event lighting and crowd flow as dusk approaches; they noted stand-alone rechargeable lights (about $100 each) and strategically placed greeters or golf carts as short-term solutions. Organizers proposed expanding children’s programming (face painting, a kids stage and a raffle to raise scholarship funds) and agreed to return with more concrete budget lines for future meetings.

The commission closed the First Friday item by directing staff to follow up with the city on sales-tax procedures and to return with any recommended changes before the group expands the event footprint.