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Branson aldermen approve trademark transfer despite TCED members’ concerns
Summary
The Branson Board of Aldermen approved bill 66‑55, transferring ownership of the city logo from the Branson Lakes Area Tourism Community Enhancement District to the city, after public debate about whether the TCED board had approved the exact signed document. The measure passed 4–2; city attorneys said a defective TCED approval would render the agreement void.
A divided Branson Board of Aldermen voted 4–2 to approve bill 66‑55, a final reading that authorizes a nonexclusive trademark license and ownership transfer of the city logo with the Branson Lakes Area Tourism Community Enhancement District (TCED), and authorizes the mayor to execute related documents.
The vote followed public comments and detailed discussion about whether the TCED board had seen and approved the version of the agreement the city was being asked to accept. Dr. Alex Williams, one of the city’s delegates to the TCED board, told aldermen he requested that the consent‑agenda item be pulled because the TCED’s board of directors “has not approved it in its current form” and because the copy before the aldermen showed an ownership transfer rather than the license the TCED had earlier voted on.
Alderman Glenn and other aldermen said they had spoken with some TCED members who raised concerns that the final document differed materially from the draft the TCED board had reviewed. City Attorney Solon told the board in open session that, under Missouri law, if the TCED had not properly approved the agreement on its end the result would be that the contract is void; he said the city would be defensible if a problem later surfaced. Former TCED chair Chris Meyer and other witnesses said the TCED board had passed a form of the agreement in the past but that the document currently before the city was different in substantive ways.
Mayor Larry Milton and several aldermen argued that the city’s staff and legal review supported approving the transfer now, that the city would be able to manage and protect the logo, and that approving the agreement would not expose the city to liability if the TCED later demonstrated defective approval. Alderman Glenn urged patience and respect for the separate political subdivision, suggesting the TCED should resolve its internal procedural questions; others said delaying the city’s action served little purpose because a defective TCED approval would make the contract void.
The motion to adopt the ordinance was moved and seconded on the floor. Voting by roll call recorded these positions: Schulz — yes; LeBlanc — yes; Denham — yes; Cooper — yes; Cowden — no; Lucas — no. The tally was 4 yes, 2 no; the motion carried and the ordinance was adopted.
What happens next: if the TCED board later shows that the document was not properly authorized on its end, the city attorney said the agreement would be void and the parties would have to start again; if the TCED endorses the signed form or later ratifies it, the transfer will stand.
Authorities and bill: the measure was the final reading of bill 66‑55, described in the motion as an ordinance approving a nonexclusive trademark license and ownership transfer agreement between the City of Branson and the Branson Lakes Area Tourism Community Enhancement District.
