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Del City trustees approve $3,000 donation for chamberTrunk-or-Treat after procedural dispute
Summary
Del CityEconomic Development trustees voted to donate $3,000 to the Del City Chamber of Commerce for a Trunk-or-Treat event Oct. 26 after an extended discussion about planning, budget source and stewardship; the chamber pledged to report back on how the funds were spent.
Del City trustees voted Oct. 21 to donate $3,000 to the Del City Chamber of Commerce for a chamber-hosted Trunk-or-Treat event at Integris Community Hospital, approving the payment after members questioned the timing and lack of a spending plan.
The motion, introduced during the Del City Economic Development Authority portion of the meeting, increased an initial request of $1,000. Trustee votes recorded in the meeting transcript were unanimous in favor. Josh, a chamber representative who addressed the authority, said the money would cover sponsorship, signage and refreshments and that he would report back at the November meeting on actual expenditures and any carryover to next-year events. "I will definitely make sure that...I will give a report of what we spent it on," he said.
The decision followed repeated procedural objections from the mayor, who said he supported buying candy for children but opposed approving an unplanned expenditure in the middle of a meeting. "I'm not against candy for the kids. I'm opposed to springing it in the middle of a meeting with no plan and nobody's been talked to," the mayor said, urging that staff and finance be consulted before commitments are made.
Supporters argued the event has significant community reach and that the chamber already had sponsorships and event logistics in motion. Trustees and staff clarified likely funding sources: hotel/motel tax revenues or the economic development restricted fund. Chamber leadership proposed using any unspent funds for DelQuest or to seed next year's planning if the Trunk-or-Treat spending comes in under the approved amount.
Trustees also raised operational concerns, particularly parking and attendee safety at the venue, and the chamber representative said he had been in contact with police and fire to address safety and parking logistics.
The trustees approved the donation and asked the chamber to present a brief accounting of the expenditure and any leftover funds at the next authority meeting. The action was recorded as a donation to the Del City Chamber of Commerce for the chamberhosted Trunk-or-Treat event on Oct. 26, 2024.
