At contentious meeting, funds for NIBROC upped by $15,000

The Corbin Tourism and Convention Commission voted unanimously Monday to bolster its spending for the 2006 NIBROC Festival after a raucous meeting during which officials traded barbs over funding levels and “hints” of impropriety.
In a tightly worded motion by commission member Wes Tipton, the committee agreed to pay $15,000 worth of cost overruns incurred by NIBROC planners. Earlier this month, the Tourism Commission agreed to give the Greater Corbin Chamber of Commerce, the organization that organizes the festival, $10,000 – well below the $30,000 Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Bruce Carpenter had requested.
Confusion has reigned during the intervening weeks over whether the Tourism Commission would allocate more money for NIBROC. Commission Chairman Don Estep said the board never closed the door to further funding, but had to think about its own financial considerations first. The commission will receive revenue from a three percent restaurant tax after July 31.
“Our checking account was to a point that that’s all that could be given at the time,” Estep said. “No one ever said that was the last of the contributions. Some may have jumped to conclusions and acted hastily without knowing the entire situation.”
The Chamber of Commerce’s Board of Directors met last week regarding the issue and drafted a long letter making a plea for increased funding. The letter also said that calls by
Tourism officials for a full financial accounting of money allocated for NIBROC hinted “at impropriety on the part of the Chamber of Commerce in the production of NIBROC …” The letter was sent to all members of the Tourism Commission and the Corbin City Commission.
Carpenter contends the Chamber of Commerce “did not overreact” to Tourism’s initial vote and statements made by members of that board to the media. He said a formal letter stating Tourism’s funding intentions would have alleviated any confusion.
“They have a responsibility, someone on that board, to send a letter saying this is what our intentions are,” Carpenter said. “You don’t read about intentions in newspapers.”
During the meeting, Estep claimed the confusion was perplexing.
“I told you twice in conversations that you were probably going to have to wait until we have restaurant tax money,” Estep said. “Nobody ever asked us [what our intentions were.]”
When asked, Carpenter admitted that the Tourism Commission had never sent a formal letter regarding funding to the Chamber of Commerce in the past, but only because he formerly served as Executive Director of the Tourism Commission.
The Tourism Commission’s move Monday came after a 46-minute-long executive session. Tipton said no one on the board ever meant to insinuate that money had been spent improperly, but said that accurate and robust accounting of NIBROC funds “is simply a business mechanism so we can evaluate the present requests and any future requests.”
“The Tourism Board has never, at no time, and is not making any allegations or representations that anyone has misused funds,” he said.
Estep questioned portions of the letter drafted by the Chamber’s Executive Board including a claim that 95 percent of the festival’s funding comes from local business contributions. A profit/loss statement on the festival provided by the Chamber of Commerce showed $42,896 in income from the carnival, vendors and others and $57,850 from corporate sponsors. Carpenter said the letter should have stipulated that the percentage of business donations was only for the entertainment portion of the festival.
Estep also asked about a reported net profit for NIBROC 2005 of $11,574 and said that, according to current figures, even without Tourism’s $15,000 in additional funding, the festival shouldn’t have been in jeopardy, operating on an income of $100,746. The Chamber of Commerce cancelled a planning meeting for NIBROC last week and claimed in its letter that NIBROC, along with other events, would be discontinued without more money.
“A lack of funding doesn’t seem to be a real issue for NIBROC if these figures are true,” Estep said. “There is going to be appropriate funding for NIBROC without a doubt.”
Carpenter said profit projections made in January have been reduced to about $4,000 because of expenses since then, a few corporate sponsors balking on commitments and some outstanding invoices with a company over billboard advertising.
Before 2003, the most Tourism had ever given to the festival was $5,000. In 2003, funding jumped to $25,000 for the 50th anniversary celebration of NIBROC, but dropped back to $15,000 the following year. Last year, it was increased again to $25,000.
Chamber of Commerce President Marlon Sams said Monday he was happy with the decision to provide more money for NIBROC.
“We are very appreciative of the board looking toward NIBROC and giving us the funding,” he said. “If this festival had not received the funding we got today, it couldn’t have continued.”
Carpenter said planning for the festival has not been derailed because of the dispute over funding.