Prescott council asks staff to reconcile figures before deciding on Whiskey Off Road renewal

Todd Sadow, owner of Epic Rides, told the Prescott City Council at a study session Tuesday that he wants a contract renewal — or at least a one‑year addendum — so the Whiskey Off Road mountain‑bike event can continue planning.

Sadow said the event, founded 22 years ago, brings an out‑of‑town audience and drives what he called roughly $3,000,000 in direct spending into Prescott on event weekend, and he described a city contribution “somewhere in the neighborhood of around $80,000 a year in cash plus infrastructure.”

The council did not vote. Instead Mayor Goode and other members pressed staff to review competing economic‑impact figures and return with a proposed contract term. City staff and Epic Rides offered different summaries of revenue, costs and the event’s local value, and councilmembers asked for a reconciled analysis before committing to an extension.

Why it matters: Council members said they must balance the event’s economic benefits against the city’s fiduciary duty to taxpayers and the limits of accommodation‑tax and general‑fund spending. Numerous local business owners, nonprofit leaders and residents told the council the event supports lodging, restaurants, retail and youth cycling programs and urged continued city support.

Sadow and Epic Rides’ pitch

Sadow described Whiskey Off Road as a public‑private partnership that markets Prescott to cyclists and visitors. He said the event draws about 6,000 mountain‑bike attendees across the weekend, that roughly 90% are from out of town, and that Epic Rides uses city support to fund items he listed as pro purse, free community concert, media/content creation, stage rental and hotel room blocks for race staff.

“The biggest winner has always been the city of Prescott,” Sadow said, arguing the event optimizes bed tax revenue and extends Prescott’s tourism shoulder season. He also said Epic Rides has a history of co‑funding independent economic studies, including a 2013 analysis with the Seidman Research Institute at Arizona State University and later reviews by other research firms.

City staff numbers and council concerns

City staff presented the city’s economic‑impact numbers for 2024, showing the city portion of tax revenue at $42,042, county receipts of $18,821 and state receipts of $112,000. Staff also reported estimated city costs tied to the event at about $134,000 in 2024, including traffic control, police/security and trash collection; of that total staff said $87,000 was covered by the bed‑tax fund and $46,900 by the general fund.

Mayor Goode emphasized the city’s fiduciary responsibility. “The tax dollars that we contribute as a sponsorship or support…that’s the taxpayers’ money,” Goode said, and the council must be able to quantify the return before extending support.

Public comments and local business support

Dozens of speakers — including vacation‑rental owners, restaurant operators, nonprofit leaders and youth‑cycling coaches — urged the council to maintain funding and extend the agreement. Several speakers said their businesses book months in advance for event weekend and that youth teams and local bike shops benefit from the event’s year‑round visibility.

What was decided and what comes next

Council members did not adopt a new contract. Instead the mayor asked staff to review the differing economic‑impact inputs presented by Epic Rides and the city, and to bring back a proposed contract extension or options for term length and funding. No formal motion or vote was taken at the study session.

Questions left open include the exact bed‑tax and general‑fund split for any future agreement, whether an interim one‑year addendum would be granted so Epic Rides can continue sponsor outreach, and how future event‑sponsorship policy will be structured for other annual events.