Leon Valley reports lower net cost for July 4 celebration after sponsorships and spending cuts

City staff presented a financial recap of the July 4, 2025 celebration at the Sept. 2 council meeting and said sponsorships and adjustments reduced the city’s net cost to roughly $84,001.72, well under a $180,000 budgeted total. Community Relations Director Crystal Miranda described revenues from sponsorships, vendor fees and donations and summarized expenditures, including overtime, setup/staging, entertainment and fireworks.

Key details: the event took place July 4, 2025; staff estimated approximately 9,000 attendees (peak 7,500) using cellphone data analytics. Major expenditures included personnel overtime (about $48,000 plus $12,000 in benefits), setup/staging ($48,000), and entertainment and fireworks (including a fireworks line item around $20,000). Staff reported the Economic Development Corporation contributed $30,000 in the event budget and that recurring sponsor Leon Valley Storage was the principal event sponsor.

Fiscal result and context: Miranda said the city budgeted $180,000 for the event but with sponsorships and reduced programming (rain curtailed some activities) the city expended about $84,002.72; staff will return sponsorship receipts to the general fund. Councilors thanked staff for sponsorship outreach and for keeping net city cost down.

Ending: staff recommended continuing sponsor cultivation and noted shuttle demand exceeded capacity; staff will consider additional shuttle resources for future events.