Quinn Kinole, Maricopa’s community enrichment director, presented council members with a review of the Wild West Music Fest on the city council dais, saying the two‑year pilot is intended to develop Maricopa as a destination for event tourism. “We are 2 years now into an effort, to explore event tourism in an event that’s called Wild West Music Fest,” Kinole said during the presentation.

The nut graf: city staff said the festival is funded in part with bed‑tax revenue and is intended to bring visitor spending into Maricopa to support local businesses. Kinole told the council staff and the event producer have worked to reduce costs and measure whether the event meets the city’s strategic goal of increasing overnight visitors and local economic activity.

City and producer figures presented to the council show the first festival, in 2023, had estimated three‑day attendance of about 15,000. The city paid $350,000 to the event producer, SLE Entertainment and Public Relations, that year; total event expenses for 2023 were presented as approximately $1,100,000, total revenue $826,000 and a net deficit of $251,000 that Kinole said was absorbed by the event partner rather than additional city payments. Kinole said the second festival in 2025 ran on a smaller budget: total expenses were about $463,000, revenue about $466,000 and the event produced a modest net profit (presented as $2,351).

To measure local impact, the city commissioned Implan to analyze attendee survey data. Kinole said the analysis estimated a total economic impact for the area of $2,840,000 from the festival and reported that about 74% of attendees were Maricopa residents and roughly 26% came from surrounding cities or out of state.

Council members pressed staff on the full scope of the city’s investment. Councilmember Noor asked whether the producer paid facility rental fees; Kinole replied the producer did not pay rental fees for Copper Sky and related use, and staff estimated the in‑kind facility value at about $39,420 if those days had been charged. Noor and others argued that in‑kind facility use, staff time and public‑safety overtime should be included in the city’s accounting when comparing the event to other potential uses of tourism funds.

Quinn Kinole said police, fire and public works adjusted how they staffed the second year: police limited overtime and covered most hours with regular salaries, fire staffing for the festival was presented at $6,838, and public works overtime was described as part of a total overtime staffing cost figure of roughly $8,000. Kinole cautioned that line‑by‑line staff hours and some police figures in the transcript were unclear and that staff would provide more detailed budget breakdowns to council as requested.

Council members also asked about procurement and the long‑term contract. Kinole said the city awarded an initial invitation‑for‑bid to SLE and that the contract runs through 2027 with annual renewals; he added SLE holds the name Wild West Music Fest, so a future procurement for an equivalent large music event would be framed as a “large event / event tourism” procurement rather than asking for that same brand name. Several council members recommended establishing clear benchmarks and a transparent partnership policy so the city could evaluate whether the festival meets economic and community goals and to ensure fair treatment of other local event producers.

Kinole summarized next steps: the city has approved the budget for year three, staff are in contract negotiations with SLE for the 2026 date, and the city will continue to track attendance, economic impact and visitor origin to inform future decisions. “Next step is the budget’s been approved for year 3,” Kinole told the council.

Council discussion emphasized balancing caution with continuity; some members urged waiting several years to judge profitability trends, while others pressed for clearer standards for in‑kind support and public‑safety cost recovery. Councilmember Noor asked that staff return with a work session or forum to define expectations, timelines and benchmarks so staff and the producer share a consistent set of goals.

The council did not take a separate formal vote on procurement policy or on altering the contract during the meeting; Kinole said staff would return with additional financial details and recommendations for council review.