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Council approves $20,000 grant to Art Center to support expanded festivals
Summary
The Winnsboro City Council voted unanimously to award $20,000 to the local Art Center to support four festivals, including an expanded month‑long Bloom event; presenters said sales‑tax data show increased local spending tied to the events.
The Winnsboro City Council voted unanimously to award $20,000 to the Art Center to support four community festivals, including an expanded month‑long Bloom event in April.
Council members approved the funding after a presentation from an Art Center representative that summarized visitor counts and sales‑tax data showing increased local spending during festival periods. The Art Center representative said the center had expanded several events since 2021 and asked the council to increase its prior funding request from $15,000 to $20,000.
The representative said the $20,000 request would cover all four festivals: Art & Wine, Bloom (expanded from a weekend to a month), the Festival of Books (expanded to two days with an author meet‑and‑greet), and Cowboy Music and Poetry. The presenter said the Art Center counts each visitor to its main building once per day and reported a 40% increase in visitorship at that venue compared with the previous year.
On tax receipts, the presenter said HDL company sales‑tax data show event‑period increases: for the Art & Wine festival, 17 of 29 sales‑tax periods showed increases totaling 58%; Bloom showed increases in 4 of 5 periods averaging 80%; the Festival of Books showed increases in 15 of 22 periods averaging 68%; and Cowboy Music and Poetry showed increases in 4 of 11 periods averaging 36%. Broader three‑year averages citywide were reported as roughly 10% for Art & Wine, 7.3% for Bloom and 7.73% for the Festival of Books, the presenter said.
Council discussion referenced those figures and noted the festivals draw out‑of‑town visitors who spend on lodging and at local businesses; the presenter said some attendees arrive by private plane for events and that the festivals support local tax revenue.
A councilmember moved to approve the $20,000 award “as presented”; another councilmember seconded. The motion passed on a voice vote with all voting in favor.
The council did not attach additional conditions to the award during the meeting. The Art Center representative said the center will proceed with festival planning and outreach.
The funding decision follows the council’s prior support for the Art Center; the representative noted a prior $15,000 request and said the center is now seeking a larger, $20,000 allocation to match expanded programming.
