Colfax council approves $2,500 grant for Historic Downtown Association to seed events and marketing

The Colfax City Council approved a $2,500 grant to the Historic Downtown Association to help seed new events and pay for marketing and event insurance.

At Tuesday’s meeting the association’s organizer, Erin Newington, told council members the group has spent months building a website and social media presence, producing promotional graphics and organizing events including an art walk, an Oktoberfest revamp and a recurring Colfax Bazaar. Newington asked the council for $5,000 to continue the work and cover early costs such as advertising, drone and photography work, and event insurance.

Council members debated the request. Some members said they wanted clearer, line-item requests tied to specific events, and others argued the association had already produced measurable work and needed seed money to maintain momentum. Several members noted past uses of the city event fund are generally for specific projects or events and asked for assurances the money would be used for the stated purposes.

After discussion council debated two competing proposals: one to grant the full $5,000 and a second, smaller grant. The council ultimately approved a $2,500 award from the city’s event/facility funding account. The council’s final tally on the successful motion was recorded as a majority vote; the motion carried and staff were directed to disburse the funds to the Historic Downtown Association for marketing, event insurance and other start-up costs tied to the group’s upcoming events.

Newington said the group will continue pursuing grants and private sponsorships and intends to use the city funds to qualify for matching grants and to pay for initial marketing materials, drone/photography and insurance for the association’s next events. Council members asked that the association return with requests tied to specific events when possible.

The council vote followed public comment from residents who supported the downtown group’s work, urged stronger downtown promotion, and encouraged experimentation with new event formats to attract visitors.

The council also discussed remaining balances in the events account and confirmed that other recently approved event-related disbursements had reduced available funds; members noted the city still has funds available but asked organizers to submit event-level budgets for future requests.

The $2,500 grant is intended to be seed funding; the Historic Downtown Association said the money will be used to buy down initial costs and to help the group qualify for larger matching grants.