Fairhope Arts & Crafts Foundation asks city to eliminate $20,000 street fee, seeks longer MOA term

The Fairhope Arts & Crafts Foundation asked the City of Fairhope on Monday to change the memorandum of agreement that governs use of downtown streets for the annual festival, proposing either a perpetual or substantially longer term and asking the council to remove the current $20,000 annual payment the foundation makes to the city.

Laura English, a foundation board member, told the council the volunteer‑run festival attracted roughly 174–177 committed artists in the most recent cycle, drew artists from more than two dozen states and two from Canada, and relies on more than 150 volunteers and 18 subcommittees. The foundation currently pays $20,000 a year to the city for street use; English said removing that payment would allow the nonprofit to increase scholarships and local donations.

Council members raised legal and policy questions about a perpetual contract, with at least one member saying perpetual agreements make them uncomfortable and another noting that longer fixed terms (for example, 10 years) might provide needed stability while retaining future oversight. Council members also pressed for evidence of the festival’s economic impact; staff and the foundation said no formal study has been funded, and both suggested seeking a Baldwin County or university‑based analysis or using graduate students to prepare a comparison of festival weekends versus other weekends in March.

Several council members noted municipal costs associated with the event—including public‑works labor, sanitation and police overtime—and questioned whether the $20,000 represented a reimbursement for city costs or a voluntary contribution. Foundation members said the money has primarily funded community projects and that the foundation pays privately for rentals, entertainment, portable restrooms and other festival needs.

Council direction: members asked staff and the foundation to return with more data and with draft MOA options that would address the timing issue (the foundation’s fiscal cycle runs July–June and the current MOA ends on Dec. 31). Council indicated any contract change should be in place before June 30 so festival planning that begins in July is not disrupted. No formal contract change was adopted at the meeting.

What’s next: The foundation will work with city staff on options—longer fixed‑term MOAs, calendar alignment for a July 1 start, and alternatives to a perpetual agreement—and the council requested an economic impact estimate to inform the decision.