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DDA pitches event sponsorship program to shift event planning to community applicants
Summary
The DDA proposed an event sponsorship program that would reimburse community-run events up to $1,000 to promote Macomb Street businesses; the board discussed eligibility rules to prevent grants that primarily benefit a single private business.
DDA staff proposed an event sponsorship program that would provide reimbursement-based awards, up to $1,000, to individuals or groups that present events benefiting Macomb Street businesses.
Ross said the program is modeled after the DDA's facade grant program and would require applicants to submit a presentation and provide receipts for reimbursement. "It's a reimbursement based program where they have to provide receipts, and invoices. And once the event is done, then they receive the money back," Ross explained.
Board members probed eligibility rules to ensure awards would not primarily benefit a single private business. One member pointed to the program language that said it "shall not be beneficial to a private individual or business," asking where the line would be drawn for a business-hosted barbecue or band. Ross said the board would be the decisionmaker on whether applications demonstrate benefits to Macomb Street as a whole, and that staff would process applications and schedule presentations to the board for approval.
The board asked staff to refine the two-page program description to clarify eligibility and scoring criteria and to guard against perceived favoritism. No awards were made at the meeting; staff will finalize application materials and process applicants through the regular meeting schedule.
