At the June 21 budget workshop commissioners pressed staff for more detail about city spending and in‑kind support for community events.

Events and tourism staff presented a line‑by‑line budget for festivals and promotions. The presentation listed rental and promotional support amounts for recurring events: the boat race, the bike festival and the city’s marquee event, GeorgeFest. A cumulative figure of roughly $315,000 was discussed for GeorgeFest activity lines (security, entertainment, rentals and associated costs). Staff confirmed the city does not typically give cash grants to race organizers but does provide in‑kind services — for example, equipment, porta‑potties, traffic control and staff time — that the events director said can equate to several thousand dollars per event.

Several commissioners said they had been told previously that the city provided little or no direct support for certain events and asked staff to ensure consistent policy and transparent accounting across events. Commissioners asked whether promotional support should be distributed more evenly among events and whether the tourism/events budget should prioritize events that produce measurable economic benefits for downtown businesses.

Why it matters
The discussion highlighted two recurring issues in municipal events funding: (1) a lack of clarity between direct cash grants and in‑kind city support; and (2) how to prioritize limited event funding to maximize downtown activation and economic impact.

Next steps
Staff said they will return with a clearer breakdown of event expenditures (cash vs in‑kind), an analysis of economic impact where available, and recommendations on whether to reallocate promotion lines to better align with city objectives.