Pacific Partnership funding, rodeo accounting and tourism budget draw extended debate at aldermen workshop

Pacific Partnership sought continued city support as the Board of Aldermen reviewed the proposed fiscal 2026 budget during a May 29 special meeting.

Val Droge of Pacific Partnership told the aldermen the nonprofit’s “total expenses for items” between July 2024 and May 2025 were “almost $95,000,” and that the organization’s “total budgeted contributions from the City of Pacific was $32,000.” She said Main Street America recommends roughly 30% of local Main Street program budgets come from city funding and that Pacific’s $32,000 contribution represents about 28% of the group’s budget. “With the help of public funding, we’ve been able to host free events that bring thousands of visitors to our city,” Droge said during the public-participation portion.

That presentation set off an extended internal budget discussion in which aldermen and staff reviewed several tourism-related lines, questioned how event and rodeo revenue and expenditures were organized on the spreadsheet, and debated how much of the…