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Journal North: Home | Sports | Opinion | Obits | Entertainment
Sunday, November 08, 2009
Who Paid for Conference Booze?
By Kiera Hay
Journal Staff Writer
At least $10,000 appears to have been spent on alcohol for the four-day Santa Fe International Conference on Creative Tourism sponsored by the city of Santa Fe last year, city records show.
Invoice documentation submitted to the city by conference planners Recursos de Santa Fe includes a $3,375 bill from Kokoman Fine Liquors of Pojoaque for items such as margaritas, beer and sangria, as well as about $6,711.06 in purchases at the Liquor Barn on Cerrillos Road made on a Recursos credit card a few days before the conference.
Handwritten notes, "WB alcohol for conference," accompanied the Liquor Barn items. Most of the catering for the Creative Tourism conference was done by Walter Burke Catering.
Information obtained by the Journal through a public records request includes e-mail correspondence between a city employee and Recursos on how alcohol might be purchased for the conference. Some of the e-mails show that those involved believed city money couldn't be used to buy alcoholic beverages, but apparently there is no formal policy in place to prevent that from happening.
"One major question here: if we are to pay for adult beverages with registration money (since the City does not cover these, per Sabrina's memo to Ellen), how can the money stay separate and come back to us in the form of a check from the City? Seems to me that once the money goes into City coffers, it 'becomes' the City's and is liable to all City policies," said Recursos board President Nancy Johnson in an e-mail about a month-and-a-half before the conference.
The e-mail refers to Arts Commission Director Sabrina Pratt and Recursos Executive Director Ellen Bradbury Reid.
Johnson continued, "Our money for the Conference is in a separate account at the bank. Can we keep an estimated amount for these adult beverages? We would be able to provide you with 'proof' for this money in our Conference account."
Responds city employee Tom Maguire, "Another way I know it is done at the City is the caterer never shows alcohol on the bill. "
Maguire, now retired, held the title of culture and heritage tourism planner and was a key player for the city in organizing the conference.
Around 375 people from around the world participated in the Santa Fe International Conference on Creative Tourism on Sept. 28-Oct. 2, 2008, in what planners described as a "boutique" event focused on "travel directed toward engaged and authentic experience." The event ultimately cost about a half-million dollars to put on, most of that provided by the city and state.
A budget created for the conference shows about $123,225 was spent on catering. A Journal request for more detailed information on what exactly that money went for, including whether alcohol purchases were part of an $11,000 or $12,000 line item dubbed simply "Other catering," was declined by Pratt of the Arts Commission.
Neither Pratt nor City Councilor Rebecca Wurzburger, who spearheaded the Creative Tourism conference, agreed to answer any questions on whether city money was used to purchase alcohol for the conference. Pratt told the Journal via e-mail that, "per legal, you must follow the public records request process and submit your questions through city clerk's."
The Journal was not asking for additional public records, only an explanation for spending shown on documents the newspaper had already obtained from the city. Efforts to obtain comment from City Manager Galen Buller also were unsuccessful.
'Laborious system'
Johnson, whose Recursos group was on contract to plan the conference, said in an interview Friday that a system was set up whereby Recursos invoiced the city, then was given money to pay vendors. She said a separate pot of cash was maintained that consisted of donations and registration fees, and she assumed the city paid off alcohol expenses with that.
"We had to invoice the city, and they paid us with registration fees so we could pay vendors back. We were just the middleman. It was a laborious system the city set up for us to operate," Johnson said.
Johnson said she didn't know how much was spent on alcohol for the conference.
Why the registration fees, earned at a conference that was more than two-thirds funded by public entities, weren't considered public money hasn't been made clear.
Invoice information for Walter Burke indicates the caterer ended up billing the city about $76,000 over the course of the conference. The company charged for "bar set-up" on three different occasions, including $1,298 on Oct. 2 for "rentals, bar set-up, sangria mix and prep and staff." A representative of Walter Burke said the company itself doesn't directly supply or serve alcohol, but can provide some related services.
A Recursos employee wrote the city's Maguire on Oct. 7 that additional costs on an invoice submitted to the city included "alcohol, rentals, servers and bar set up for the closing event on October 2nd. Walter Burke was asked to supply this at the last minute."
It also appears alcohol was served at a small reception held by Councilor Wurzburger at her house Sept. 27.
"The food and alcohol beverages, plate and glass rentals et al were by Walter Burke and should have already been paid through Recursos, " Johnson said in a separate e-mail about an $815 bill submitted by Walter Burke for the Wurzburger party.
A program for the Creative Tourism conference says a cash bar was available at two events — a dinner at Rancho de Las Golondrinas on Sept. 29 and Taste of Creative Cities on Sept. 30 — but that two drinks tickets were included in the conference fee.
Taste of Creative Cities events included a tequila seminar and international wine tasting among its activities, according to the program, although the Journal could not get the city to say who provided the liquor for those activities.
E-mail correspondence also indicates that solicitation of liquor donations was discussed.
Any city policy?
Despite contacting several city employees, the Journal was unable to ascertain whether Santa Fe policy prohibits using city funds to purchase alcohol.
City Attorney Frank Katz said he wasn't aware of "any such policy," but added that the city also doesn't have a formal policy on heroin or collecting pre-Columbian artifacts.
"There are a lot of things we may not have a policy on but we don't do," Katz said.
The state of New Mexico won't approve payments for alcoholic beverages from public funds. Municipalities aren't legally required to follow that example, but a majority have done so, according to New Mexico Department of Finance and Administration spokeswoman Nicole Gillespie.
In recent months, in the wake of a series of DWI-related fatalities, Santa Fe officials have made efforts to address alcohol problems in the community. The municipality, along with Santa Fe County, sponsored a working group this summer aimed at finding solutions to the myriad problems caused by alcohol abuse.
More recently, the City Council agreed to restrict alcohol sales and consumption on most city property, a move which followed, in part, from a contentious decision to allow the organizers of Santa Fe's 400th anniversary events to sell beer and wine at evening concerts during a festival at Fort Marcy Park in September.
After the Creative Tourism conference, Maguire told Pratt by e-mail: "The City cannot pay for alcoholic beverages. If wine has to be purchased for the conference, it will be billed against registration fees not City funds. Any other alcoholic beverages at the conference can be part of a no-host bar."
Booze was an issue
Other e-mails before the conference showed how to fund alcohol purchases was an issue.
Recursos' Johnson: "Our money for the Conference is in a separate account at the bank. Can we keep an estimated amount for these adult beverages? We would be able to provide you with 'proof' for this money in our Conference account."
The city's Maguire: "Another way I know it is done at the City is the caterer never shows alcohol on the bill. Besides, some will be donated and I will not show that as a contributed item."
Johnson: "I guess either way would work... but I prefer the first of us keeping the money and then, at the conclusion of the Conference, sending any remaining balance on to the City. But I think the way below works too, we just won't have a record (for the future) of what adult beverages cost."
She adds, "Ideally, we get it all donated and the problem vaporizes. But that is just hopeful thinking."
Maguire: "Let's work towards something in the middle, as we will need a substantial part of that income to pay your invoices. Why not get an estimate at 75 percent of retail of what alcohol will cost. Take that aside and prepare to send the remainder on to us on the schedule I suggested. In that way, we are prepared to pay your invoices and you can also cover the beverage expenses. With luck, our beverage expenses can be somewhere between 25-50% of retail."
Johnson: "I was only ever speaking about keeping money to cover the alcohol portion of the bill. As time closes in, we should be able to come within a few hundred dollars of a bill. We need to overestimate to be on the safe side, but as soon as the invoice is processed by the City, we can then send the vendor a check that includes the money from the City and Recursos. And return any remaining funds to the City."
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