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Council Approves Juneteenth Contract, Members Voice Concern Over Cost and Event Staffing
Summary
Cleveland Heights council approved a contract with Japco Cultural Arts Institute for the city—s Juneteenth Arts and Culture Fest but several council members expressed concern the event—s cost exceeded budgeted community-event funds and called for hiring an events coordinator to prevent future high vendor expenses.
Cleveland Heights City Council on May 19 approved a contract authorizing the mayor to execute an agreement with the Japco Cultural Arts Institute, Inc., to plan and produce the city—s Juneteenth Arts and Culture Fest at Cain Park, but several council members said the item revealed weaknesses in event budgeting and staffing.
The contract covers programming, education, vendors and a concert; the event is scheduled for June 14 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. with a concert portion at 8 p.m., according to staff remarks during the meeting. Council debated the legislation in Committee of the Whole earlier and approved the agreement on the council floor after discussion.
Councilmember Larson said she would support the measure because the event is important and "Joppa" (Japco) had already begun work; she thanked staff for stepping in during transitions. Councilmember Cobb and others said they would vote reluctantly because the contract cost exceeds previous community-events budgets. "I'm troubled by the amount of money that's being proposed to be spent, which is an excess of $60,000," said Councilmember McCobb during discussion, referencing the city's community events budget and expressing concern that current spending had already exceeded the budgeted $50,000 for the year.
Several council members said the high cost resulted in part from not having a posted events coordinator position in place. "Why don't we have an events coordinator? Prior years, we've been able to do this in house," Councilmember Maddox said, urging the city to fill the position so future events can be run more cost-effectively.
Vice President Russell said she would vote against the agreement due to the spending and timing; other councilmembers voted to approve the contract. The council recorded a vote and the motion passed.
Staff said the Juneteenth event and related pride events are intended to support local businesses by driving visitors to Lee Road after concerts and by encouraging vendor participation. Councilmembers asked for cost information from prior years and additional budget transparency for future community events.
The contract was presented as an emergency measure on first reading and authorized the mayor to enter into the agreement with Japco Cultural Arts Institute, Inc. for services at Cain Park on June 14.
