By Nick Worth The new duties of Holbrook Special Events Coordinator Kathleen Smith were discussed during a meeting between City Manager Ray Alley, City Finance Director Randy Sullivan, Smith and members of the Holbrook Chamber of Commerce last Thursday. In addition to her duties for the city, Smith has also been acting as executive director for the chamber, an arrangement Alley wants to change. At the Jan. 17 meeting of the Holbrook City Council, an item on the agenda called for the council to consider ending Smith’s involvement with the chamber. Chamber President Yvonne Larson and several chamber members were in attendance at the meeting, and asked the council to table the matter until they had a chance to discuss the issue. The council agreed and tabled the item pending a future work session with the chamber members in attendance. The council was to have set the date for the joint work session at last night’s meeting. At Thursday’s meeting, the chamber members and city staff discussed the matter and the options open to the chamber. Alley told the group that the city funds the chamber with proceeds from the lodgers tax. Sullivan said the total amount comes to approximately $180,000 per year and is used for several projects. According to Sullivan, approximately $70,000 goes to paying the utilities, and manning and upkeep on the old courthouse. Another $40,000 goes to the Navajo County Fair Board and about $10,500 to the Navajo County Historical Society. Another $3,500 was given to the Hashknife Posse, and $15,000 goes toward funding the city’s Wild West Days, Alley said. “My goal is to pull Kathleen out of the chamber, and have her do community events and go to the Arizona Corridor meetings,” said Alley. Smith also noted in her current position she has to schedule events that benefit all the businesses in the city, not just chamber members. Larson asked if Smith’s salary would be funded out of the general fund and Alley replied that it would be. He then asked Larson and the chamber members if they would want to spend the remaining $41,000 on an employee. “We’re going to pull her out no matter what next year,” Alley told the group. “You need to figure out how you’re going to spend the rest of the money.” Larson noted the $41,000 would also have to fund the chamber’s events, leaving less for an employee. Alley stressed to the group that the lodgers tax monies are expected to stay at around $180,000 and that there would be no increases. He also said the disposition of lodgers’ tax monies was at the complete discretion of the city council. “We can’t have a separation between the city and the chamber,” said chamber board member Christopher Olthouse. Smith agreed, with saying, “We need to maintain a partnership.” The group also discussed the length of time for the memorandum of understanding between the city and the chamber. Alley told the group that by law the agreement cannot run beyond the term of the city council, and that the next council election would be in the fall of 2016. He explained that such memorandums were set up that way so a future council cannot be held to an agreement made by its predecessors. He recommended a renewal clause be written into the next agreement. Another concern was a location for the chamber’s office, once Smith is no longer the executive director. Larson said the chamber could possibly move into the old courthouse, and Alley said an office could also be used in the city hall. Alley also noted a new heating furnace needs to be installed in the old courthouse and that it would take another $10,000 to accomplish the job, which would come out of the $180,000 lodgers’ tax. “When we do our work session, we’ll have the numbers,” Sullivan said. Larson spoke to the option of having a city employee on loan for the job. “If a job issue comes up, it’s their job over us,” Larson said. When Larson asked what Smith’s job duties would be with the city, Alley said he wanted Smith to oversee city events and become a recreation director. She would also be tasked with attracting new businesses to the city and retaining established ones. Alley then said he felt a resolution could be found that would be “good for both of us.”