Committee forwards holiday market-hut proposal to village board

On Oct. 1, 2023, the Committee of the Whole voted to forward a proposal to the Village Board recommending three additional market huts for the village’s Dec. 14 Christmas event, with staff directed to obtain quotes and confirm budget availability.

The item was introduced by Rusty Wright, who addressed the committee about plans for vendor huts and wristband stations. Wright said the intent is to keep vendors local and to stage four food huts and four drink huts in the new multipurpose parking lot. "Everything's gonna be local," Wright said, listing several local businesses he planned to approach.

Trustee Mike Simon said he supported moving the item forward to the board for further review. "I'm supportive of it," Simon said, and proposed that the committee obtain vendor quotes and funding details before the Village Board makes a final decision.

Committee discussion focused on three key issues: the number and cost of huts, available funding, and whether vendors should be charged a fee. Wright said the village currently has what he described as five huts and that the proposal would add three more to reach the desired setup; he said additional huts cost on the order of "1,800 a pop" (as stated in the meeting). A trustee pointed to account code 0106091 (special events/parks) and questioned a line-item that appeared to show $231 spent to date; that trustee said the $231 figure looked inaccurate and recommended checking with Mark in finance to determine whether the purchase would be treated as a capital item and whether funds are available.

Several trustees said they supported moving the item to the Village Board with the understanding that the board would receive hard numbers. Trustee Sonia Steinhardt made a motion to forward the item; Trustee Mike Simon was recorded as the mover in the committee record and Trustee Wright as the second. The committee approved sending the proposal to the Village Board; roll-call results recorded yes votes from Trustees Malcos, Eddie, Simon, Wright, Block and Saima (yes:6, no:0, abstain:0).

Trustees and committee members also discussed the possibility of charging vendors a small fee in future years to help offset the cost of huts and to set a precedent if the market becomes an ongoing downtown activity. Wright said he would raise the question with the Christmas committee and approach vendors for input on reasonable fees.

The Village Board will review vendor quotes, confirm whether the expense is capital or operating (and whether budget code 0106091 can cover it), and return to the committee or board with a final funding recommendation before any huts are purchased or constructed.