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City reports spring festival net cost of about $120,000; staff to pursue sponsorship and add event line items in budget
Summary
Staff reported the city’s March spring festival drew roughly 10,000 visitors over two days; total event expenditures were roughly $133,317 (not including some public-safety part-time coding) with revenues of $13,615, leaving a net cost around $119,702. Staff said sponsorship outreach and a proposed event line-item in the budget would be pursued.
City staff presented a financial summary of the March spring festival during the May 6 meeting, reporting the two-day event attracted an estimated 10,000 attendees and cost the city about $120,000 net.
Assistant staff and event managers explained the accounting: overtime costs covering multiple departments and event staffing contributed to the expense total; direct event expenditures (bands, sound, staging, family-fun zone, portables, signage, equipment rentals and printed materials) totaled roughly $89,936.12. Combined with department overtime and part-time staffing costs (as presented), staff reported total event expenditures of about $133,317.01. Revenues from food vendors, non-food vendors, a kids’ zone and a small amount from carnival receipts were $13,615, producing a net cost to the city of approximately $119,702.01 (staff noted the figure did not yet include an estimated $12,000 in public-safety part-time charges that still needed to be coded to the event account).
Council members and staff discussed possible steps to reduce net cost: increased sponsorship sales, expanded vendor fees, and more targeted marketing to boost paid attractions. Staff said they had begun to roll out a sponsorship packet and will pursue partnerships and include dedicated event line items in the upcoming budget to improve transparency and planning.
What’s next: staff will continue sponsorship outreach, work to include line items for major events in the upcoming budget, and return to council with refined sponsorship and cost-management strategies for large events.
