Organizers of a proposed Connecticut Television Festival on Jan. 24 asked the Arts and Cultural Commission on Dec. 2 for $5,000 in city support to match a $5,000 state film office grant. The commission tabled the request and asked for a detailed line‑item budget and for staff to finalize the commission’s partnership/application process before awarding city funds.

Kevin Huffman, one of the event organizers, told the commission the festival will include daytime professional workshops and an evening awards ceremony in two Norwalk venues, and that ticket and workshop prices would be set to keep the program affordable: "We have different pricing... $40 to attend the event for anybody in the public," he said. Huffman said the $5,000 would primarily cover rent, staging and catering.

Commissioners raised two central concerns: (1) transparency of how the requested funds would be spent and (2) the commission's limited special events budget (Sabrina reported about $15,000 remaining in the account). Commissioner Danny Loftus George and others urged a specific line‑item budget to show how the $5,000 would be allocated and warned that awarding a large share of the commission’s annual events budget to a single outside event could preclude support for other local activities.

The commission agreed to table the sponsorship motion until the application/process is finalized and event organizers supply a detailed budget. Sabrina confirmed the CT TV Festival application and related materials already appear in the meeting packet; organizers were invited to resubmit an updated budget for consideration at the January meeting.