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Board approves $1,000 increase for Empire Arts grant; minutes approved
Summary
At its Feb. 26, 2026 special meeting the Hotel-Motel Tax Allocation Board approved minutes from Feb. 9, 2026 and unanimously approved a $1,000 amendment to an Empire Arts and Humanities Council grant, raising the award to $2,600 to secure a higher-profile guest; the board also discussed scheduling and expense reports.
The Hotel-Motel Tax Allocation Board approved the minutes from its Feb. 9, 2026 meeting and unanimously approved a $1,000 amendment to an existing hotel-motel grant for the Empire Arts and Humanities Council at its special meeting on Feb. 26, 2026 in Pryor Creek.
A board member introduced an amendment to increase the Empire Arts award by $1,000 to a total of $2,600 so organizers could secure a larger, more widely known guest (discussed in the meeting as a performer associated with the name "Flash Gordon," possibly actor Sam Jones). The board discussed the additional appearance fee and a reported negotiation that lowered the fee to the requested amount. One board member asked if there were objections; none were raised.
A motion to approve the amendment up to a total of $2,600 was made and seconded. The vote was unanimous: Allan yes, Major yes, Williams yes, Hawkins yes.
Earlier in the meeting, the board moved and seconded to approve the Feb. 9 minutes; that motion also passed unanimously. The board closed the meeting by discussing scheduling for a follow-up meeting after April 15 to review outstanding expense reports related to Comic Con and other items, and then adjourned.
