Council delays vote on Prattville High tailgate village after members seek fee details and transparency

The City of Prattville City Council on Tuesday removed a resolution authorizing the Prattville High School Athletic Association to create a "Tailgate Village" and collect fees for the 2025–26 football season from its consent agenda and later voted to postpone final action to the next meeting.

The item drew public comment and council questions after resident John May Finnegan raised concerns that earlier similar approvals for other groups specified fee amounts and reporting only "upon request," while the high school resolution required monthly reporting but did not specify a fee. "I just worry about that. I see some concerning items that were not put in there," Finnegan said.

Councilors questioned whether the tailgate spots would be charged to individual tailgaters or funded through sponsors. Dr. Crocker, who described his remarks as an "unofficial opinion," said the athletic department had announced a lottery for tailgate spots and that premium paid spots did not appear to be planned for this season. He said a corporate sponsor had been named at a recent game and that "they may have collected some revenues to put on the tailgate village, but it is not gonna be charged to the individual tailgaters that are a part of that village." He advised removing the item from the consent agenda to allow staff to clarify details.

Council discussion established that the event takes place on a school facility during a Board of Education event and that the city had provided certain services (for example, grounds maintenance). The council initially voted to remove the resolution from the consent agenda; a later motion on the formal resolution carried to postpone the resolution to the next meeting. The resolution text requires the Athletic Association to "keep an accounting of all fees taken in, how those funds were expended, and report such costs to the city council on a monthly basis," but the resolution does not specify the fee amount.

Why it matters: Council members said they wanted clearer information about whether the association will charge individual tailgaters or rely on corporate sponsorships, how any collected funds will be used, and who will perform event management and cleanup on city property. Several councilors and residents asked that the item remain open so staff can verify whether billed fees exist, what oversight the city will exercise and what obligations fall on volunteers.

Next steps: Council voted to take the resolution up at the next regular meeting rather than adopt it Tuesday. The resolution remains on the agenda pending clarification of fee structure and accounting procedures.