The Arkansas Community Organizations, a grassroots group, has called on the city of Little Rock not to spend $200,000 in city taxpayer money on the Little Rock Regional Chamber of Commerce. The money is in the 2011 budget, as in years past, but the budget was held up unexpectedly at the last meeting because of questions about mass transit spending.

Director Kenneth Richardson asked at the last board meeting that the city receive assurances that the chamber money would not be spent on lobbying and that it get an accounting of expenditures on economic development activities. To date, the Chamber has refused to provide an accounting that proves the money doesn’t support political activities. It releases only a budget with general categorical spending — salaries, travels, etc. — but refuses to provide any specifics. It won’t even name the employees subsidized by city money, one step necessary to know whether the city is subsidizing chamber employees with duties that include chamber political activities.

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I have asked City Manager Bruce Moore and Mayor Mark Stodola to obtain this information since the city contract with the chamber says the Freedom of Information Act applies. The Chamber has not responded so far. (For that matter, neither has the mayor, but Moore said he has requested the information.) I’ll report next week if such basic information on city spending is viewed by the chamber as taxpayers’ business and, if not, whether city officials think that is a satisfactory response. So far, Stodola has been willing to take the chamber’s word, without supporting documents, a standard that doesn’t apply to other city expenditures.

ACO says the chamber money should be redirected towards “meeting the basic needs of Little Rock citizens.” It said police, fire, code enforcement, transit street and basic services should be the city’s first priority. The city is in a budget pinch, with some 200 open positions ranging from trash collectors to park maintenance crew.

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The ACO letter to city directors and the mayor:

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