Christie Hatman Responds to City of Mammoth Spring, Arkansas

 Christie Hatman Responds to Targeting of her Small Business in Mammoth Spring, Arkansas

⭐ STAY UP TO DATE ⭐

on the status of the Historic Street Lamps and the situation involving Hatman’s Menagerie.

⬇️ Scroll down to see documents.
📤 In December, all information requests will be released HERE.

🗓️ October 6, 2025 — The Questions City Hall Wouldn’t Answer

On October 6, 2025, local business owners attended the City Council meeting with a list of questions for the City Council and Mayor.

✔️ Some questions were partially answered (see video).
❌ The remaining WRITTEN questions went unanswered for an entire month and were only addressed after a FOIA request forced the issue.

⚠️ A Serious Violation: Confidential Tax Records Exposed

At that same meeting — and not on the agenda — the mayor publicly exposed confidential tax records of businesses that pay sales tax in Mammoth Spring.

He implied that I was not paying my sales tax.

Whether someone does or doesn’t, it is a CLASS A MISDEMEANOR in the State of Arkansas for a city official to release privileged and confidential tax information.

Mayor Danny Busch did exactly that — in public — to humiliate me, and the FULL VIDEO IS BELOW.

📌 FUN FACT:
My business was on his list of businesses that pay sales tax.
He simply didn’t know the name of my LLC.

Legal and ethical complaints have been reported to the proper authorities, and the mayor continues to refuse to send FOIA's (public information) to the attorney, as I have requested.

💡 Back to the Street Lamps

When asked about the dark areas downtown, Mayor Danny Busch said:

“We don’t have any bulbs.”

Local business owners immediately raised funds to light the streets.
And with the tiny amount of effort it takes to screw in a light bulb…
✨ most of the street lamps now work.

But now:

❌ The mayor will not allow me to ask the remaining questions in December about the few street lamps that still don’t work.
❌ He will not allow any public questions at the December council meeting.

This is not transparency.
This is not accountability.
This is shutting down the public.

🗳️ **I Don’t Live in Mammoth. I Can’t Vote.

But YOU Can.**

I’m giving you this information because you — the citizens of Mammoth Spring — deserve to know what is happening inside your city government.

🌟 Everything I share is documented, recorded, and publicly verifiable.

 

 

"We don’t have any bulbs.” - Mayor Danny Busch at the November 3, 2025 city Council meeting. (see video)


City of Mammoth Targeting Hatman's Menagerie...10 videos


Documents on Street Lamps & Council Meetings:

 

🗣️ PUBLIC COMMENT? OR A PRIVILEGE THEY “GRACIOUSLY” ALLOW?

📢 QUOTE FROM THE CITY:

“…the City of Mammoth Spring has been gracious enough to allow any individual who wishes to speak to do so.”

🤨 Who works for who?

This statement suggests that speaking at a public meeting is some kind of favor the city “grants” to its citizens.

Public officials work for the people, not the other way around.

⏱️ Shrinking Time Limits

The city sets a timer for public comments.
I’ve been told it has now been reduced to 2 minutes.

🎤 Two minutes to address ordinances, transparency issues, tax concerns, or city decisions that directly affect businesses and residents.

But in December?

❌ There will be NO public comments allowed.
❌ The city will not be “gracious” enough to let anyone speak.

This is not transparency.
This is control.

 

📝 UNANSWERED QUESTIONS & MAIN CONCERNS

These questions were originally presented by six business owners at the October City Council meeting.
❌ They were ignored for a month.
✔️ They were only answered after an official FOIA request was submitted to the mayor in November.

Below are the three major areas of concern:

1️⃣ The $100,000 Local Match Requirement

The city must provide 20% of the cost for the $500,000 grant.
💰 That means $100,000 must come directly from Mammoth Spring.

This is a significant financial commitment for a city.

2️⃣ Real Numbers. Real Math. Real Economics.

It is baffling that a councilman is talking about replacing existing street lamps to “save money” on bulbs/usage.

💡 LED bulbs cost approximately $1.07 per bulb per year.
💡 A 5-bulb lamp → yearly cost ≈ $5.35
💡 Replacing it with a 2-bulb fixture → yearly cost ≈ $2.14

Annual savings per lamp: only $3.21
That’s under $200 per year for the entire town.

Meanwhile…
🛍️ Business owners have already volunteered to pay for the bulbs.
There is no financial burden to the city and no justification for ripping out lamps that already work.

3️⃣ Street Lamp Removal at the Mayor’s Discretion

See Question #20 below.

⚠️ Street lamps may be removed at the mayor’s discretion,
⚠️ with no public announcement,
⚠️ and no notice to the businesses affected.

This level of unilateral authority over infrastructure—especially lamps that are operating—is concerning and lacks transparency.

💭 My Perspective

If the City of Mammoth Spring were a small business, we would:
✔️ Repair what we have
✔️ Beautify what we have
✔️ Spend responsibly
✔️ Avoid unnecessary debt
✔️ Avoid destroying working infrastructure

Politicians think differently — because they’re spending other people’s money.

🚫 Here’s What I Don’t Want:

❌ New construction in front of my store
❌ Sidewalks ripped up
❌ A functioning street lamp torn down
❌ Replaced with a new lamp when the existing lamp works
❌ Mammoth Spring taking on $100,000 in new debt for something that can be repaired instead of replaced

Even if the city moves forward with the grant, I still strongly encourage:
🌟 Repairs over destruction
🌟 Preservation over replacement
🌟 Fiscal responsibility over unnecessary spending

📝 BUT I CAN'T VOTE, so here's the information and you do you. 

Mayor is specifically Targeting Christie at her business and police are called:

 

 

📸📏 Pictures taken immediately after the mayor left — with real measurements and real photos.


🗓️ IMPORTANT TIMELINE

📅 AUGUST 4, 2025

🎥 See the previous 10-part video series.
I defended myself and my business at the City Council meeting using real numbers, real names, and real measurements.
I proved point-by-point that the mayor’s claims about my business were false.

📅 AUGUST 11, 2025

📨 Mayor Danny Busch submitted a request to the Arkansas Department of Finance for a list of all businesses that pay city sales tax in Mammoth Spring.

📅 SEPTEMBER 2, 2025

🔊 See the previous audio recording.
At 10:15 a.m., Mayor Danny Busch was standing in the street taking photos of my building as I was unloading a trailer.

👉 I have repeatedly invited him to meet with me to discuss anything he believes is “out of compliance.”

💬 If he truly believed I wasn’t paying sales tax, he could have spoken to me that day.

📅 OCTOBER 6, 2025

🎥 See the full video of the meeting below.

I — Christie Hatman — along with six other business owners, attended the October meeting to ask about the streetlights and to present a written list of questions.

📝 These questions went unanswered for a month and were only addressed after I served the mayor with a FOIA request.

Then, during this same meeting:

⚠️ The mayor produced confidential tax records
⚠️ He falsely claimed he “couldn’t reach me any other way”
⚠️ He shared privileged financial information publicly

I believe this was targeting and retaliation for my August presentation where I publicly discredited his claims against my business.

😳 MAYOR DANNY BUSCH DID THIS TO HUMILIATE ME.

I also believe the councilmen were shocked by what they witnessed.

❓ What do YOU think?

 

 

📄 PROOF OF TAX COMPLIANCE — DELIVERED IMMEDIATELY

As promised, my official Certificate of No Tax Due was on the mayor’s desk the very next day.

📨 I also texted a copy to every councilman to ensure there was no confusion, no misinformation, and no further excuses.

 

📨 FOIA REQUEST: “Numerous Complaints”

Mayor Danny Busch repeatedly claimed there were “numerous complaints” against my business.
So, to verify this, I submitted a FOIA request asking to see every one of these supposed complaints.

I sent the FOIA to:
👮 Chief of Police Jamie Turnbough
🗂️ City Clerk Melissa Rogers

But instead of receiving responses from either of them…

👉 Mayor Danny Busch answered the FOIA for both of them.

 

🚨 Ongoing Issue: Mayor Controlling FOIAs for Every Department

Another major concern:

Mayor Danny Busch has been intercepting and personally answering all FOIA requests, including those directed to:

  • the Police Chief,

  • the City Clerk,

  • the City Recorder

This is not lawful protocol, and it prevents departments from responding accurately and independently as required by Arkansas FOIA law.

This is also directly related to the continued lack of transparency and the month-long delay in answering public questions that should have been addressed immediately.

 

🤔 A Final Thought to Ponder…

When was the last time you saw the mayor at a ribbon cutting, or supporting, visiting, or promoting a small business in Mammoth Spring? 

🗣️ I said it in the meeting, and I’ll repeat it here.

Mayor Danny Busch treats my business as if it is a nuisance to the city.
Yet the feedback I receive from:

🛍️ Customers who walk through my door, and
🏪 100% of all other downtown retail business owners

…is positive, supportive, and encouraging.

My business is valued by the community.
It is appreciated by locals and visitors.
It contributes to the town’s revenue and tourism.

But the mayor?

🚪 Danny Busch has never once darkened my door.

Not to ask questions.
Not to offer support.
Not to understand what my business actually brings to Mammoth Spring.

But he'll stand in the middle of the street and snap pictures as I unload my trailer.