Residents, vendors and council weigh future of Illuminated Isanti amid six‑figure deficit

Isanti City Council members heard roughly an hour of public comment and discussion about the future of Illuminated Isanti, the city’s seasonal light display, including proposals to form a community committee, change the event format and shift costs away from taxpayers.

The event has become controversial after council review of its finances showed a large deficit; council members and staff said the city’s net shortfall on Illuminated Isanti is about $169,000. Council and residents discussed options including reduced days of operation, ticket or parking fees, recruiting more business sponsors, selling or placing some displays with private businesses and pausing the event this winter while a volunteer committee organizes.

Why it matters: Illuminated Isanti has become a visible downtown attraction that supporters say brings families and customers to local businesses. But council members said continuing the event as currently run is hard to justify when the city is subsidizing a sizable operating loss and when public works staff spend hundreds of hours setting up and tearing down displays.

Public comments and vendor suggestions dominated the discussion.…