HGTV television star Hilary Farr sits with Washington County Commission Chairman Nick Sherman during a question-and-answer session at the county’s Real Estate Expo on March 12.
Washington County paid HGTV television star Hilary Farr more than $30,000 to appear as keynote speaker for its Real Estate Expo earlier this month, borrowing money from federal pandemic recovery funds earmarked for blight mitigation in the county.
Farr’s appearance was advertised as the highlight of the March 12 expo organized by Washington County’s government, and she joined county Commission Chairman Nick Sherman on stage for about an hour to speak about economic development in the region.
After speaking, the renowned designer and co-host of HGTV’s “Love It or List It” remained at the event for another half-hour for a scheduled “meet and greet” photo opportunity with 60 select VIP attendees before she departed after spending about two hours at the expo.
Sherman said Wednesday that Farr’s $30,000 speaking fee and other expenses were fronted using the county’s blight mitigation funds, but will be repaid with sponsorship dollars and vendor fees generated from the expo.
“We have raised all the money to pay back that account, so that account will be reimbursed,” Sherman said. “So there will be no cost to the taxpayer or the blight fund. So we’re operating in the black now.”
But Commissioner Larry Maggi, who attended portions of the expo but did not speak, said he wants transparency on how much county money was spent to hold the event and what sponsorship or vendor payments were made to help offset the costs.
“I want to see an audit,” Maggi said. “We were soliciting funds from different groups for this and I would like to see who gave what. Where did the money come from to pay for this event and what did it cost the taxpayer? And I’m not sure what the purpose was for. What was the stated purpose of this expo?”
The county authorized the contract with Los Angeles-based Creative Artists Agency on Dec. 3 to secure Farr’s appearance, and county Chief of Staff Daryl Price sent an email the following day asking for the initial deposit to be paid “from the blight fund,” according to emails obtained by the Observer-Reporter. Last year, the county deposited its remaining $12 million in American Rescue Plan Act money into its blight mitigation fund – which is meant to be spent demolishing dilapidated structures to spur economic development – since the federal money had to be earmarked by Dec. 31 and used by the end of 2026. There is a wide range of uses permitted under ARPA, although it was not clear whether a celebrity guest appearance qualified, even as a pass-through payment.
The county made an initial $15,000 payment to Farr’s Los Angeles-based talent agency on Dec. 5 from its Washington Financial bank account earmarked for ARPA money, and then made the second and final payment of $15,000 on Feb. 6 to fulfill the total appearance fee. In addition to the $30,000 fee, the county also paid for Farr to fly first class on an airline of her choosing and stay at a Pittsburgh hotel of her choice while being transported to and from the event in a chauffeured luxury vehicle.
The Observer-Reporter filed an open records request Tuesday asking for the cost of Farr’s round-trip airline ticket from Los Angeles, hotel in Pittsburgh, ground transportation and meals. The request also asked for all invoices associated with the Real Estate Expo, including vendor charges, marketing payments and the rental fee to Washington & Jefferson College to use the Salvitti Family Gymnasium for the daylong expo. The county had not responded to the records request by Wednesday morning, while a W&J College spokesperson said she could not disclose the cost to rent the venue.
The county also spent more than $23,000 to Drive Marketing LLC in Mars, Butler County, for various planning and promotion of the expo, with invoices dating back to August, according to payment records obtained by the newspaper. Another $2,022 was spent on social media advertising promoting the event in January and February, along with another $2,400 in miscellaneous expenses.
However, the total cost of the expo was not immediately known – the rental fees for the venue, chairs and audio equipment along with credit card statements have not yet been released – nor was the amount of county tax dollars or ARPA funds that were spent on the event. It was not clear how much sponsorship money was brought in to offset the cost of the expo.
In addition, acting county controller Heather Sheatler is questioning the use of a new bank account labeled “Real Estate Expo” that was opened in February and is independently controlled by three county employees in the commissioners’ office. Sheatler’s solicitor, Ronald Kolla, emailed county attorney Gary Sweat on Monday advising that the bank account, which appeared to have about $7,500 in it, should be closed immediately since it is not under the oversight of the controller’s office.
“It has come to my attention that an unauthorized bank account was opened for the Real Estate Expo. This action was taken outside the proper financial protocols designed to maintain accountability over public resources,” Sheatler said in a written statement Wednesday. “The checks and balances established by the state exist for a reason – to safeguard taxpayer dollars and ensure that no individual or entity operates beyond scrutiny. To circumvent these rules is to avoid accountability, something I simply cannot allow.”
The daylong expo included six separate discussions by local real estate experts about various economic development topics in the county and five other sessions with local leaders on a variety of topics. Official attendance figures have not been revealed, but the sessions earlier in the day were sparsely attended before more people filtered in for the events later in the evening. About 75 sponsors and vendors participated in the expo, although it was not known how much each was charged to set up booths in the upstairs gymnasium.
The day was capped by a lengthy dialogue spearheaded by Sherman and fellow Republican Electra Janis touting some of the economic improvements in Washington County over the last couple of years, followed by Farr’s appearance that included a question-and-answer session.
Sherman said the response to the inaugural Real Estate Expo has encouraged them to hold a similar, albeit smaller event next year.
“We had 1,500 people through the door that day. It was a massive success,” Sherman said. “There were business leaders there (and) it was an opportunity to have synergy in the area. It was a massive success and what the people of Washington County want.”