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Council approves amended Riverfest agreement setting cost-share cap and reducing 2024 invoice to $25,000
Summary
Council approved a revised agreement with Watertown Riverfest Inc., establishing an equal city–Riverfest cost share up to $60,000 and reducing Riverfest’s 2024 invoice to $25,000; members debated appropriate city contribution levels and long-term cost-sharing goals.
The Watertown Common Council on Tuesday approved a revised funding agreement with Watertown Riverfest Inc. that reduces the outstanding 2024 invoice and sets a framework for shared costs going forward.
Under the resolution approved by the council, the city and Riverfest will share eligible festival costs equally up to a combined cap of $60,000; the resolution also reduces Riverfest’s outstanding 2024 invoice to $25,000. Council members described the change as a move to shift more cost responsibility to the event organizer over time while preserving city support for the festival.
“Over the evolving years, the percentage that Riverfest contributed… has changed,” one council member said during committee discussion, summarizing the history of city support. Finance committee members said the revised arrangement is intended to keep the city’s fiscal exposure limited while supporting an event they called economically beneficial for local hotels, restaurants and retailers.
At the meeting Alderman Molenhauer asked whether the city’s share could rise as high as $30,000 per year; Alderman Davis and others clarified the resolution creates a maximum joint contribution of $60,000, not a guarantee that the city will pay $30,000 every year. City staff reported the 2024 invoice totaled $37,765.59 and the resolution reduces Riverfest’s portion of that prior invoice to $25,000.
Council members cited Riverfest’s volunteer base and the event’s estimated attendance—committee discussion mentioned an estimated 40,000 visitors over four days in 2024—as justification for continued support. Critics at the meeting asked for clarity on how overspending beyond $60,000 would be handled; the resolution states Riverfest is accountable for dollars spent beyond the cap.
The resolution passed on a roll-call vote. Several council members praised the festival’s economic benefits and the finance committee’s work to limit the city’s long-term exposure while preserving support for the event.
What happens next: city staff will execute the amended agreement with Watertown Riverfest Inc., reduce the outstanding invoice as directed, and the organization will be responsible for costs that exceed the $60,000 cap under the new terms.
