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Spencer council approves travel exception for tourism conference; mayor reports two park grants
Summary
The council approved exceeding travel limits for attendance at the AL‑MS‑TN Rural Tourism Conference (costs covered by ARPA tourism grant). Mayor Farmer reported two park grants totaling $127,825 for playground upgrades, lighting and a rustic stage and shared conference findings on tourism's local tax-savings impact.
The Spencer City Council on Sept. 25 approved an exception to travel limits so Mayor Farmer and others may attend the AL‑MS‑TN Rural Tourism Conference in Athens, Alabama; the council was told hotel costs in the conference area are high and that the expense will be covered by the ARPA tourism grant.
Mayor Farmer also reported the city was awarded two grants for improvements at the city park: a Department of Health grant of $80,000 with a $20,000 local match (a $100,000 project) to update playground equipment, and a Tourism Enhancement grant of $26,433.75 with a $1,391.25 match (a $27,825 total project) to fund lighting around the walking track and construction of a rustic stage. Both grants were announced during the mayor’s report.
Mayor Farmer and Amanda attended a tourism conference in Kingsport and reported a data point from Van Buren County showing tourism saved an average of $1,547 per household in tax savings in 2024; the mayor noted Van Buren ranked fourth statewide for tourism-related household tax savings. The council approved the travel exception by unanimous roll call.
Council members did not take additional action on the park grants during this meeting beyond the mayor’s report; staff will proceed with required next steps for grant administration.
