Council debates Come and Take It funding requests; staff asked for detailed budget breakdown

Councilors reviewed a set of event-funding requests submitted for the coming year and asked staff and applicants for more detailed budget breakdowns.

Finance staff presented a staff report listing event funding requests marked as "unapproved requests": the Come and Take It weekend (requested $80,000), a golf association ($3,000), Lone Star Relay ($2,500), portable restrooms for Lone Star Relay ($1,500), and a $150,000 request from Cattle Country Festival. Council members asked for additional information and itemized line items before moving forward on major allocations. The council did approve an unrelated budget amendment (Ordinance 2025-3) that authorized the rollover of unused marketing dollars to the 2024–25 fiscal year for the Gonzales Economic Development Corporation.

During the funding discussion Assistant/Finance staff and councilors said they wanted a clearer breakdown of high-cost line items such as entertainment, staging and sound rigs. Council member Susan (surname on record) said she wanted an itemized list for entertainment, stage, sound and related expenses; the finance presentation noted stage and sound costs can run several thousand dollars and artist fees vary widely. "I would like to have give our legal team the opportunity to review the previous way we did things and the amended way we did things," said the city attorney — council then asked staff to return with a more detailed budget and specifics on proposed allocations.

Council requested the event applicants provide an itemized budget for the Come and Take It request, and asked staff to return with a revised recommendation at the next meeting.