Isanti weighs city role, budget and labor limits for Illuminate Isanti event

City staff presented three options for coordinating Illuminate Isanti and asked the Isanti City Council to decide how much the city should continue to support the event during a Committee of the Whole meeting.

City staff outlined a city-led coordination option that would assign the parks and events coordinator to work with volunteers, have public works set up and take down the nine large displays, and provide basic infrastructure support. "It looks like for including advertising, Santa Claus for 8 days, sound equipment, replacement cords, display replacements ... the portable restrooms ... trash, as well as the software ... the total of $15,929. And this doesn't include staff time," City staff said. Staff also described two alternatives: cancel the event for one year to allow volunteer organizers time to form a 501(c)(3) and prepare, or have the city set up only the large displays this year while volunteers run the event themselves.

The financial and labor implications were central to the discussion. Resident organizer Carla Anderla told the council the group has already raised $11,500 and has not yet approached larger donors. "We have raised, already $11,500," Anderla said, and she said the group expects additional donations from local sponsors such as Connexus Energy, which has given in past years.

Council members and staff discussed how fundraising would be handled if the city paid some or all of the minimum operating costs. Staff said donations would be placed in a city fund and earmarked for future Illuminate Isanti events; the council would need to decide whether fundraising would reimburse the city immediately or remain as an earmarked balance for future purchases. Staff emphasized the city would be financially responsible only if fundraising fell short of the required operating costs.

Labor was a repeat concern. Staff said the event had previously been budgeted at 720 staff hours. For 2025, staff estimated that three public-works employees would need about one week (roughly 120 hours) to set up the largest displays, and that taking down and storing the displays could add another week — a total of about 240 hours. Several council members recommended capping public-works assistance for setup, takedown and a defined scope of work rather than leaving hours unlimited; council members also discussed a small emergency allowance so public works could respond to safety or reliability issues during the eight-night event. Staff noted the city's fee schedule provides a typical billing estimate of about $50 per hour when an hourly rate is applied.

No formal motion to adopt a specific option was made. Instead, staff said they will prepare a resolution and a draft agreement that reflects the council's guidance and return it to the council for action. "I'll bring forward a resolution and agreement to the June 3 meeting," City staff said.

Council members asked for clearer limits and accountings in the draft agreement: identify which tasks public works will perform (installing and removing the nine large displays, limited in-event assistance, emergency response), set a labor-cap or scope-of-work, and specify how donations will be handled and earmarked. Resident organizers offered to continue fundraising and to recruit seasonal workers and volunteers to reduce city labor needs.

Background and next steps: Illuminate Isanti has been a city-hosted holiday lighting event in prior years. The council's forthcoming June 3 agenda will include the staff-proposed resolution and agreement for the council to approve, modify or reject; until then staff recommended joint planning with the volunteer group and limited city operational support to avoid repeating prior years' heavier labor commitments.