Commission rejects chamber request to reallocate $18,000 for Texarkana on Tap

The Texarkana AMP Commission voted on a motion to reallocate about $18,000 in leftover 2024 funds to a Chamber of Commerce event called Texarkana on Tap, and the motion failed on a roll‑call vote.

The chamber’s director of events, who presented the request, told commissioners the group wants to use funds left from a prior celebration allocation to pay for a new live‑music, craft‑brewery event and estimated the need at about $18,000. “The 18,000 is paying for the whole event,” the director said when asked whether the reallocation would cover the full cost.

Commissioners pressed the presenter for an itemized budget, confirmation of matching or sponsorship dollars and clarification about where the event would be held. Several commissioners asked whether the event could proceed without AMP funds and whether the money being repurposed had been explicitly allocated to a different event in 2024. The chamber representative said there were no confirmed outside sponsors at the time of the request and that the event would initially rely on the requested AMP funds.

A motion was made and seconded to allow the reallocation. On the roll call, Brewer and Meals voted yes; Holly Bush and Vandergraph voted no; Holmes voted yes; Wright voted no. With that split, the motion failed and the funds were not reallocated.

Commissioners asked staff to request an itemized expense list and to identify other potential revenue sources before considering a similar request in the future. The chamber representative thanked the commission for their time after the vote.