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DDA rejects $16,253 budget amendment to cover Artilicious overspend
Summary
On Jan. 14 the Downtown Adrian Main Street/DDA board voted down a $16,253.24 budget amendment requested to cover unplanned Artilicious expenses, prompting calls for clearer work plans and a six‑month financial review from board members.
The Downtown Adrian Main Street DDA on Jan. 14 declined to approve a $16,253.24 budget amendment requested to cover additional expenses tied to the Artilicious event.
Jay (DDA director) told the board the total outlay for Artilicious reached about $23,002.53, up from an originally approved $7,000 and later increases that brought the previously authorized amount to roughly $12,000. He described the unplanned costs as hospitality, security fencing, additional entertainment, stage and sound, banners and advertising and said the amendment would transfer reserve funds to reconcile the account.
Multiple board members pushed back, questioning why the event expenditures exceeded prior approvals and asking for better planning. One member said, “It's concerning in a year when I don't see much income happening and overspending what has been approved,” and another called for “work plans built around everything that we're doing, including budget, including timeline.” Jay acknowledged an oversight: “We just missed it,” he said, describing the gap as an error during the original request.
The chair called for a motion to approve the amendment. No roll-call tally was recorded in the packet or the public record; the chair later announced, “Budget amendment failed.” Board members asked for a six‑month income-and-expenditure plan to be presented at the next meeting so the board could reassess the request with fuller financial context.
The board did not adopt the transfer, meaning the Artilicious account will show a negative balance on the DDA's internal accounting until the board chooses a remedial action or approves a later amendment. Several members urged recruitment of board candidates with financial management experience and stronger internal controls to avoid similar oversights.
Next steps: board members requested a six‑month forecast of income and expenditures for review at the next meeting and said the amendment could be reconsidered once more detailed financial reporting is provided.
