Big Names
Wow! The annual delinquent tax list for Washington County is out and there are some eye poppin’ names on it in these troubled economic times. There were 40 newspaper pages filled with delinquent taxes published recently. Some folks are just slow in paying their taxes and others make Daddy W. wonder a bit. The largest amount in arrears is Pinnacle Air at $267,757 in back taxes. Yikes. That’s more than a quarter of a million dollars.
There are also names like Spitfire Aviation, $15,868; Sunbest Farms, $13,972; and the Cosmopolitan Hotel in downtown Fayetteville, $13,734.
The Cosmopolitan Hotel, the last Daddy W. heard, is a project of developers Nock, Alexander, et. al. who have said they are busy trying to put another hotel in downtown where the big open hole that will become a parking lot is. Will we in 2011, read that the property taxes on South Pass are delinquent?
I hope the Average Joes remembered to pay their taxes, but some of these businesses know better.
Big Question
What percentage of Americans in a committed relationship admit that they lie to their partners about their spending habits?
For Sale
Not that the local media cares, but Daddy W. hears that Mayor Dan Coody is offering his office furniture for sale. When the lame duck mayor took office eight years ago, Daddy W. recalls that Coody used his city allowance to buy a car. But, wanting fancier furniture for his new office, Coody bought new furniture out of his pocket and now he wants to sell it. Daddy W. also hears that incoming Mayor Lioneld Jordan turned down the offer and will use city surplus for his office.
Music Good
The Music Issue of The Oxford American has hit newsstands. The latest issue, the Southern Music Issue, is traditionally the magazine’s most popular and is just in time for the holidays. Buy one and get the double CD. A real bargain. The real nice gift to give is a subscription to this journal of fine Southern writing based right here in the Natural State.
Letter Sent
The Razorback Foundation recently sent out a one-page letter to its members along with a one-page list of senior athletic staff and Razorback Foundation staffers, notating their years of service. The letter simply asks folks to remain firm in their support of the Razorback Foundation. Go Hogs!
No-Bid Wins
Arkansas’ highest court has ruled that a state law allowing no-bid contracts on some state construction projects is constitutional.
The Arkansas Supreme Court recently upheld a ruling that the 2001 law allowing the no-bid contracts on projects of $5 million or more does not violate the state constitution. The Court’s 6-0 ruling said the constitution’s language applied only to county construction projects, not state projects.
Still Falling
Single family home sales in Arkansas fell 19 percent in October, according to the Arkansas Realtors Association. Fort Smith showed the biggest decline, falling 22.7 percent compared to last year’s numbers. Next on the down list were Pulaski County with a 21.8 percent drop, Washington County down 16.4 percent, Saline County down 15 percent and Benton County dropping 12.2 percent. And those numbers are still falling.
Nonprofits Fall
A recent study reports that the number of Arkansas nonprofit organizations has fallen. According to the report, in 1995, 13,456 organizations in Arkansas registered with the Internal Revenue Service as charitable nonprofit. At that figure, Arkansas ranked 33rd in the nation in number of nonprofits. As of June 2008, Arkansas had dropped to 5,839 nonprofit organizations with at least $25,000 in expenses, giving the state a ranking of 34.
Big Answer: Some 29 percent, almost one in three, don’t tell their significant other about their purchases.
