The location of one applicant's primary residence has called into question his eligibility to serve in an open position on the Hot Springs Advertising and Promotion Commission.
The vacant Position 5 on the ad commission drew two applicants by Friday's deadline: Wayne Smith, general manager at Oaklawn Racing and Gaming, and Alan Sims, general manager of the Arlington Resort Hotel & Spa.
Commissioner David Longinotti, director of Oaklawn Anywhere, resigned in January after a change in job responsibilities at Oaklawn no longer qualified him to serve on the commission.
The position requires commissioners to be a qualified elector in the city of Hot Springs who is the owner or manager of a hotel, motel or restaurant business located within the city limits. Longinotti, who was formerly Oaklawn's director of racing, formerly served as a board member of Southwest Catering, Oaklawn's food service, which qualified him to serve on the commission.
The ad commission will vote to fill the position at its regular monthly meeting at 3 p.m. Feb. 27.
The Sentinel-Record late Friday questioned Sims' home address, which was listed as 239 Central Ave., the same address as the Arlington. Sims also has a homestead tax credit attached to 329-A Lookout Point, according to real property tax rolls. Sims acquired the property, a condo on Lake Hamilton located outside city limits, in November 2017.
Sims told The Sentinel-Record on Monday that it is a condition of his employment that the hotel is his permanent residence. He said he has lived on-site at the hotel since Sept. 23, 2017.
Sims said he and his companion own the property at Lookout Point, but adds that it is "not habitable."
"She and I are not married, but purchased the property together," he said. "We have gutted it and will use it some on the weekends, possibly as a VRBO when it's completed."
Sims said he is working with a title company to resolve any issues regarding his eligibility due to the homestead tax credit.
"The question came up about a homestead exemption, and the way I understood it, the homestead exemption protects my companion in the event of my death," he said. "The plan right now is that property is a long-term investment; we've talked about retiring on the lake. But right now, for the next five or six years, I have to live at the hotel as a condition of my contract."
Visit Hot Springs CEO Steve Arrison said the commission contacted Sims seeking clarification on his residence. Arrison said Sims did say he lives at the hotel.
"Based on the information I have now, due to his homestead tax credit, he would be ineligible," Arrison said. According to the county's website, the homestead tax credit "provides that homeowners may be able to receive up to a $350 tax credit on the property that is their principal residence."
When asked about the verbiage of the homestead tax credit, which states that a property must be a "principal residence," Sims said that is something he will "have to talk to the county assessor about, as well." Later, he said, he spoke with the Garland County assessor to have the exemption reversed for the entire year 2018.
"If we decide in the future to make that our primary residence, we can start that back, but that exemption is off until then," he said.
Arrison said he is hopeful the issue will be resolved in the next few days.
"We still have time before the commission votes on it," Arrison said. "The only reason we looked at it is because we've had questions in the past of applicants who listed a hotel as their primary residence.
"To get that homestead tax credit, that has to be his primary and principal residence and if that's incorrect, we need to know that."
Asked about Smith's qualification to serve, Arrison said that Smith serves on the board for Southwest Catering and the commission has checked his residence and voter registration, which are also both in the city limits.
Sims, on his application, noted his membership with the Hot Springs National Park Rotary Club, as well as the Arlington's support of the community through partnerships with FirstStep, Arkansas Career Training Institute, and Abilities Unlimited, as examples of his community service involvement. The hotel also consistently provides donations and support to various schools, charities and nonprofit organizations.
On the portion of the application requesting qualifications and experience, Sims said he served at vice president of the Little Rock Convention & Visitors Bureau where he said he prepared and presented monthly reports to the Little Rock A&P Commission.
Recently, Sims was appointed to the board of The Greater Hot Springs Chamber of Commerce and the Arkansas Hospitality Association.
On the portion of the application where candidates are asked to indicate their desire to serve on the commission, Smith said through his involvement "living and working in some of the biggest tourism attractions in the country," he believes sharing his thoughts and experiences may be beneficial to the commission as Hot Springs continues to grow.
Smith noted Oaklawn's long-standing relationship with the city of Hot Springs, working diligently to ensure the establishment continues to run as smoothly as possible for tourists and residents alike, as a way he conducts business with the city of Hot Springs.
"Through constant communication with city officials, as well as the police and fire department, we believe that we have been able to achieve this goal," he said in his application. "In addition, we partner with HSPD for traffic control during our live race meet and daily security within our game room."
Local on 02/12/2019