Orange Park council approves Concert on the Green MOU, sends Fall Festival vendor rules to committee

The Town Council on Nov. 4 approved a memorandum of understanding to support the annual Concert on the Green (Coco & Carols) at a new venue and referred fall festival vendor‑selection rules to the Culture & Recreation Committee.

David Klonick, a Concert on the Green organizer, told the council the partnership began during COVID and has evolved into a fundraiser for Clay County scholarships and school grants. "Every dollar that we raise in this goes to Clay County scholarships and school grants," he said, and estimated the event draws thousands of attendees.

Town Manager explained the MOU would ask the town to provide some police, fire and public‑works support; Chief (police) cautioned that overtime estimates sometimes differ from actual costs and noted past MOUs where the town was reimbursed later. Councilors pressed staff on whether vendor business taxes would be waived and where overtime costs appear in the budget; town staff said overtime currently exists inside departmental overtime lines and there was no separate event line in the current fiscal year.

Council approved the MOU after attorney redlines and changed reporting/settlement dates to Dec. 19 so staff would receive overtime tallies before deadlines for reimbursement. Separately, Vice Mayor Sandlin successfully moved that the Culture & Recreation Committee review vendor selection criteria for the fall festival to improve transparency and local business access; that referral passed 5–0.

Council directed staff to place the Concert on the Green as a line item in next year’s budget and to provide the Culture & Recreation Committee with the materials and criteria used for vendor selection.

Quotes from the meeting reflect the tension between supporting community events and documenting costs: town staff noted the event "was not budgeted specifically for this event," while the organizer emphasized the educational benefit of funds raised.