September 7, 2019. Pope County Exec Says City Gets Casino-Deal Perks. Arkansas Online.
- Russellville was not left out of a nearly $40 million incentive package negotiated before Cherokee Nation Businesses was endorsed last month for a casino license there, according to Ben Cross, county judge of Pope County.”
- Quite to the contrary, Russellville will get a convention center, water park, and concert venue for absolutely free with no expense to the taxpayer, all of which, were conveyed to me by city residents as their priorities,” Cross said in an email to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
- While Russellville is not named in the agreement, Cross said the city is “actually the largest” beneficiary.
- A convention center has been in the works for Russellville for nearly two decades, but has never broken ground. Proceeds from a 1% sales tax set aside for a convention center sit in a Russellville bank waiting for disbursement.
- Furthermore, Cross said, Russellville receives 45.21% of a 1% county sales tax, while county government receives 40.67%.
- “The rest is divided proportionally according to population to the other five municipalities,” Cross said. “Assuming such a large development that has been proposed becomes a reality, one can also assume sales tax revenues will greatly increase in coming years, much also to the advantage of Russellville.”