Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Community Events Juneteenth topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Newton County approves half of $22,700 request for Juneteenth celebration
Summary
The Newton County Board of Commissioners voted 5-0 March 4 to provide 50% of a $22,700 budget for a countywide Juneteenth event on June 14, routing invoices through Covington's downtown development office and asking for post-event accounting.
The Newton County Board of Commissioners voted 5-0 on March 4 to provide 50% of a $22,700 budget — $11,350 — to support a Juneteenth celebration planned for June 14 in partnership with the City of Covington and local heritage groups.
The event, described by City of Covington official Ken Malcolm as a morning parade, a festival at Legion Field, a concert at the bandshell and an evening fireworks display, is a collaboration between the city, the Newton County Committee on Black Heritage Preservation and county officials. Malcolm said the city council approved committing 50% of the project budget and asked the county to match half.
The county’s share was moved and seconded on the floor (motion by Commissioner J.C. Henderson; second by Commissioner Stan Edwards) and carried unanimously. Commissioners discussed a revised $22,700 budget the applicants presented to the county; county staff and the presenters said that is the budget to consider rather than an earlier $10,481 figure circulated to commissioners.
Reverend Willie Davis, who helped organize the event with Malcolm, said the celebration will include children’s activities and community programming leading up to fireworks. Commissioner Henderson called event organizer Terry James “a living legend for this community.”
Commissioner Hazel Long pressed for clarity on public-safety coordination; Malcolm said the city and county will collaborate with the sheriff’s office and the police chief to provide safety for the event. Commissioners also discussed accountability and oversight: Malcolm said the city will handle invoicing and provide receipts and post-event reporting and that the city’s recent financial audit was clean.
Commissioner Karen Lindsay asked about fireworks funding; Malcolm said $7,500 in previously allocated funds for a separate lighting-of-the-square project were reallocated to provide fireworks for Juneteenth. Malcolm said the fireworks line is a reallocation of an existing city line item, not a new unfunded request.
The motion approved that the county provide half of the $22,700 budget (50%, $11,350). The county will disburse funds to the City of Covington, which will handle payment of invoices and provide post-event accounting to the county.
Organizers said they plan fundraising activities (including a “Taste of the South” at Legion Field) to supplement government funding; Malcolm said the city will present receipts and an event accounting after the celebration.
