Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Community Events topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council hears that Butlerville Days costs far more than expected; staff recommends contracting carnival, moving parade time and skipping new float
Summary
City staff told the council Butlerville Days now carries an estimated net cost to the city of about $129,000 and presented options—move the parade to late afternoon, skip purchasing a new float this year, or choose between a drone show and fireworks—to reduce expenses.
Butlerville Days, the city’s three‑day summer festival, is costing the city far more than council members had expected, city event staff told the Cumberland Heights City Council on Oct. 7.
The events coordinator presented a budget that includes department salaries, vendor fees, sponsorships and carnival revenue and said the city’s net cost for the event stands at about $129,000. Staff said earlier estimates that suggested the event cost the city about $25,000 did not include personnel costs now being counted in the calculation.
That shortfall prompted staff and the council to discuss several cost‑cutting options. Staff recommended the council enter a contract with the carnival for the same weekend, move the parade start to 5 p.m. to reduce overtime and holiday staffing costs, and delay contracting for a new parade float this year. The events coordinator said moving the parade from morning to afternoon would reduce salary costs by an estimated $25,000–$30,000; skipping the float could save roughly $12,000 this year and $6,000 the following year.
Council members pressed staff for tradeoffs: how changing the parade time could affect attendance and vendor revenue, whether postponing or dropping the float would discourage visiting entries from other cities, and how moving the event date might interact with neighboring communities’ schedules. Staff said the carnival company is under contract for the current dates but that some schedule flexibility exists; they also noted that moving the festival to the week before July 24 would remove the city’s obligation to pay holiday pay for staff on July 24.
The council also discussed replacing the fireworks finale with a drone show. The events coordinator described a drone program costing around $15,000 and noted mixed committee feedback: some members favor drones, others prefer fireworks. Several council members recommended polling residents before making a final choice.
Staff said they will convene the event committee in January, return with a formal recommendation on parade timing and on whether to offer a drone show, and proceed to secure the carnival contract while holding off on contracting for a new float this year.
The council did not take a final vote on event policy but directed staff to bring clearer cost‑benefit recommendations and public‑feedback options at a later meeting.
