Lodgers tax board rebuffs request on motel bill

The Tucumcari Lodgers Tax Advisory Board refused to cover half of the lodging cost of mural artist Doug Quarles when he was in town assessing the condition of the city’s murals and repairing others, including two at the Tucumcari/Quay County Chamber of Commerce building.

Board member Michael Carlson voted to recommend reimbursing half the $2,620.61 cost for 26 days in April and May 2023 at the Motel Safari that was initially covered by the chamber.

“It does benefit the city,” Carlson said of the repairs to the murals, which are popular photo opportunities to many tourists. “I personally don’t have any problem with it. It’s a nominal amount for goodwill.”

The motion died from the lack of a second after board Chairman Matt Bednorz voiced concerns about the legality of reimbursing such a cost.

“The lodgers tax board had nothing to do with this contract,” Bednorz said. “I think it opens a lot of questions.”

Carlson’s motion contained the stipulation that half of the lodging cost be reimbursed if city manager Paula Chacon finds it is legal.

The Tucumcari City Commission can accept, amend or reject lodgers tax board recommendations, though it has largely deferred to the board’s opinions in recent years.

Quarles, a former Tucumcari resident, over the years had painted dozens of murals. Several of the murals have become damaged due to weathering and age.

In other business:

— The board voted to approve a $4,300 invoice from Mesalands Community College for the Joe Peters country concert in April.

Josh McVey of the college said the concert, held the same day of a ribbon-cutting ceremony celebrating its partnership with Impact Wind, was attended by 67 people and generated about $1,000 for scholarships.

He said the concert attendance was less than anticipated because a large candlelight vigil that night for slain New Mexico State Police officer Justin Hare of Logan.

— Board members reviewed several designs for billboards in New Mexico owned by Sun Vista Outdoor Advertising. Sun Vista owner David Raybould recommended each billboard contain seven or fewer words.

Mayor Mike Cherry, a liaison to the board, recommended the board convene a work session to look at the amended billboard designs or decide on them during its next meeting in June.

— Chacon explained why a committee for the city’s Cinco de Mayo celebration decided last Tuesday to turn that night’s concerts at the Tucumcari Convention Center from a ticketed to a free event. (See other story in this edition.)

— Chacon said more than $658,000 in lodgers tax funds had been collected in the fiscal year to date, above the four- and eight-year average.

— During public comments, Tonya Rigdon noted she’d heard little talk or activity about Route 66’s centennial in 2026 while Amarillo was planning several events. She worried that Tucumcari might miss an opportunity.