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Fair Commission: $130,000 shortfall prompts talk of fees, parking revenue and cost cuts
Summary
Members detailed a $130,000 deficit from this year’s fair and discussed revenue options — charging attendees, sharing parking receipts, reducing dumpster costs and other short-term fixes — while assigning follow-up tasks to staff and the mayor.
Fair Commission member Lori Domzall told the commission on Sept. 17 that this year’s civic celebration finished with a $130,000 shortfall, and members began discussing ways to reduce the gap rather than eliminate the event.
"We are now at a deficit of a $130,000 from the fair. That's a huge chunk of change to swallow. It's a lot a lot of money," Domzall said at the start of the meeting.
Why it matters: Commissioners said the deficit is large enough that the city’s broader budget choices could affect whether civic events continue without changes. Members discussed short-term revenue measures — including voluntary donations from parking operators or charging attendees a small admission — and potential operating cuts to prevent the fair from recurring in deficit.
Discussion and options
Commissioners described several possible revenue and cost changes. Domzall floated the idea of charging attendees a modest amount and gave an example: "in a perfect world, if we even charged each person that attended a dollar and kids free, that'd cover it." Commissioners noted enforcement and fairness issues with an admission charge.
Members also discussed parking revenue. Multiple speakers said private residents and small businesses currently collect parking fees during the fair and suggested asking larger parking operators to donate some proceeds back to the city to offset costs. "They're making an awful, awful lot of money on all the parking," Domzall said, and she suggested donations or reworked arrangements so parking revenue helps the fair.
Commissioners and staff raised other near-term savings: reducing the number or size of rented dumpsters, seeking donations of dumpsters from local haulers, and examining fully loaded staffing charges the city allocates to the event. Kenneth Sweeney and others said they would check dumpster counts and costs so the mayor can request donations from private haulers.
Direction and next steps
The commission did not adopt a new fee or budget change at the meeting. Instead, members agreed to investigate options and assigned follow-up tasks: the mayor was asked to contact the operator of a local hauler regarding donated dumpster service; staff were asked to tally current dumpster expenses; and commissioners said they would continue to explore parking revenue arrangements and enforcement challenges.
What remains uncertain
Commissioners acknowledged several unknowns that will shape any decision: how many paid-parking spaces exist now versus before recent road and sidewalk work; which parking lots are privately owned; how enforceable an entrance fee would be; and the total amount the city currently pays for event-related services such as police and DPW overtime. Those details were not specified in the meeting and will be part of the follow-up work.
Ending
Members emphasized urgency as the city enters budget season, but they stopped short of new formal levies or cuts at the meeting. The commission scheduled additional follow-up work and will review potential rule and fee changes at its next meeting in May.
