Council directs staff to keep downtown Christmas tree, asks staff to study event security costs after DHBA presentation

The Hutto City Council voted during its May 1 work session to direct staff to keep the city’s Christmas tree in downtown Hutto and to study the police/security policy and budget implications for events that require street closures.

The instruction follows a presentation by the Downtown Hutto Business Association (DHBA), which described recent events, fundraising and requests for city support. Gracie Matthews, representing the DHBA, told the council the group is ‘‘on track with all the timeline items that we’ve done’’ and asked for greater city coordination on events and funding.

Why it matters: Downtown businesses told the council that street shutdowns and event scheduling affect daily revenue and parking, and that the DHBA needs clearer lines of communication and possible city funding for police/security at events. Council members expressed a desire to keep the tree downtown and to receive clearer advance notice for major event changes.

What DHBA presented and requested The DHBA outlined two active committees—events and finance—and described recent activities intended to increase downtown visits. Tashay, chair of the DHBA events committee, said the organization ran its first Merge Barbershop golf tournament with ‘‘56 golfers, 28 businesses’’ participating and that the group ‘‘raised $2,000’’ to subsidize vendor booth fees for future pop‑up events. Warren Smith, owner of Texan Cafe, said street closures directly reduce restaurant revenue: ‘‘Anytime the streets are closed downtown, it costs me money. Saturday crawfish boil cost me $4 every time we do it.’’

The association asked the council to consider budgeting for police or security for events that shut down streets. Matthews noted that the events permit process has grown more complex and that DHBA wants input as the city standardizes that process. The group also reported plans to register as a 501(c)(6) and to adopt bylaws by next month so it can formally participate in budget and planning conversations.

Funding and program requests The DHBA finance committee listed potential funding sources and revival of past local programs, including a historic preservation/property tax freeze program, a downtown facade program and a property tax rebate policy the presenter said were enacted in 2016. The association asked whether those programs could be resumed or whether similar incentives could be budgeted to help downtown property owners rehabilitate storefronts.

Security and contractor use DHBA members said they were told Hudto (transcript: Huddl/Huddle) Police Department coverage was required for some events and that a local private security firm they attempted to use was not allowed. Council members asked staff to clarify the policy and the budgetary impact; the motion that passed directed staff to ‘‘figure out the security police policy and then, also budget item for this’’ so the city can better plan personnel costs for future street‑closure events.

Council action and next steps Councilman Thompson made the motion to direct staff to keep the Christmas tree downtown and to study security/police policy and costs; the motion passed with council members present voting aye. The council asked staff to relay DHBA concerns to parks and city management and to report back as part of budget planning so the council can consider any funding requests ahead of the next fiscal year. DHBA leaders said they will provide meeting schedules and data to the city and requested the opportunity to be included in budget discussions.

Background/context DHBA leaders emphasized downtown’s changing demographics and the need to align events, parking and incentives with new residents and customers. The group described ongoing coordination with the Chamber of Commerce and the Economic Development Corporation (EDC) and said it wants to be ‘‘at the table’’ as long‑range plans for downtown are developed.

The council’s direction requires staff follow‑up: clarification of event security policy, an estimate of personnel and cost implications, and continued engagement with the DHBA on event scheduling, permit processes and potential financial incentives.