Gastonia council agrees to make Juneteenth a city-sponsored event after months of community complaints about in-kind fees

The Gastonia City Council voted this week to designate the city's Juneteenth celebration a city-sponsored event and asked staff to begin work on a broader review of the city's policy for in-kind services to festivals and community events.

The action came after a wave of public comments by event organizers and community leaders who said the city's recent change in handling in-kind services had left long-running grassroots events with large bills. "We are not asking for special treatment. We are asking to be treated like we matter," said Tasha White, founder of HealthCarolina and organizer of Gastonia's EbonyFest Juneteenth celebration, referring to a staff estimate she said charged the festival $15,630 for police and other staffing.

The council first heard public testimony that evening from a long list of speakers including community organizers and representatives of events such as Highland Festival and Toys for Tots. Speakers said Juneteenth previously received in-kind staffing and public-safety support and argued that the new approach - in which organizers were billed for police and other city services - created a disparity compared with larger, city-absorbed events. "If the city can find a way to support fireworks for 20,000 people, surely it can find a way to support a celebration of freedom for a few thousand more," White said.

Council discussion focused on two constraints identified by the city attorney: first, any exemption given to one private organizer could create First Amendment problems if not applied consistently; second, the council retains authority to decide which events are officially city events. City Attorney Eric Edgerton advised that the most defensible path would be either (a) apply a single, clear policy for all outside events, or (b) formally make specific festivals into city-sponsored events that the city funds or manages directly.

After debate, council members approved a motion to make Juneteenth a city-sponsored event for this year and directed staff to negotiate an appropriate contract with the community organizer. Council members also asked the Central City committee to review the in-kind services policy at its June 2 meeting and return recommendations to the full council. "We have staff who do this for a living," Councilman Dimitri Kasupius said; "If the council directs it, they will work to deliver this in the time available."

Organizers emphasized practical fixes as they urged the council to act: Tasha White and other speakers said using alternate parking (county parking decks) and barricades instead of billed officer hours would substantially reduce cost; a county representative and the police chief accepted the need to explore such operational steps. Community members also pressed for longer-term procedural changes so grassroots groups can reliably plan and budget.

The council's action does not change the city's broader policy right away; instead it creates a one-year approach for Juneteenth while staff and the Central City committee review the in-kind services policy and return a recommended framework for how the city will treat requests for staffing, barricades and other services going forward.

The decision comes amid sustained public attention on equity and city support for cultural events: organizers argued Juneteenth brought economic activity to downtown businesses and deserved parity with other city-funded celebrations. Council members asked staff to report back with a clear process for contracting the event, logistical steps to reduce billed staff hours where possible, and an estimated fiscal impact to the city budget.

Supporters said the council's near-term action reduced immediate financial uncertainty for the celebration. Council members who voted in favor said they wanted staff to balance fiscal responsibility with the community's concerns and to provide a firm recommendation for future policy changes.

Ending note: Staff and council indicated the June 2 Central City committee meeting will be the first formal step in reworking the in-kind services policy; Juneteenth will be treated as a city-sponsored event for the upcoming date while contract details and logistical plans are finalized.