McALESTER —
A proposal to hire a company based in Jackson, Miss. to design a new McAlester city logo, along with a marketing plan, has been tabled — for now.
However, the measure calling for a new brand and a new plan is slated to return during the upcoming Aug. 28 meeting of the McAlester City Council.
The proposal calls for the city council to consider and act upon an agreement with Marketing Alliance for Professional and Creative Services to develop a new McAlester logo and marketing plan for $18,500.
Marketing Alliance has offices in Mississippi, according to the company’s contract proposal with the city of McAlester.
Shortly after the proposed contract came up for discussion during the regular Tuesday night city council meeting, Mayor Steve Harrison said the project would be funded by the city’s hotel-motel tax.
Ward 1 Councilor Weldon Smith posed a question.
“What do these people bring to the table that we can’t do with MPower or the Expo?” Smith referred to MPower Economic Development, which receives most of its funding from the city of McAlester, and to the city’s tourism workers at the Southeast Expo Center.
“I could get more information,” Harrison said.
Ward 3 Councilor Travis Read said funding for a video about the city has already been rolled into the city’s funding for MPower.
Following more discussion, Read asked for a representative from the city’s Tourism Department “To tell what it does.”
Smith also reiterated his feelings.
“I would like to know what they think Marketing Alliance can do that they can’t do,” he said.
Shortly afterwards, city councilors voted to table the matter, specifying it to come back before the city council in two weeks.
City councilors also voted during the meeting for the city to get entirely out of the roll off/compactor business.
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