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Lake Havasu residents press council for transparency in $1.6M tourism contract
Summary
At a March 10 work session, residents and former employees accused Go Lake Havasu of weak recordkeeping, possible conflicts of interest and hostile personnel practices; Go Lake Havasu's leaders defended their performance and urged governance improvements. The council agreed to bring a follow-up contract review to a future agenda.
Hundreds of residents and several former employees urged the Lake Havasu City Council on March 10 to demand clearer records and tighter oversight of Go Lake Havasu, the nonprofit that receives about $1.6 million annually from local lodging and restaurant taxes to promote tourism. The public hearing followed presentations by the city attorney and Go Lake Havasu leadership about the history and performance of the tourism contract.
Neil Tinsley, a resident who said he filed a public records request, told the council: "The city does not have conflict of interest disclosures for Go Lake Havasu board members. The city does not have expenditure summaries showing how that money was spent. The city does not have invoices or payment documentation tied to the $1.6 million paid out each year." He said the city approved a six-year contract despite those gaps and cited Arizona conflict-of-interest law (ARS 38-503) to question whether the mayor should have recused himself from the prior vote.
Former staf…
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