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Huntington awards four-year rodeo contract to Broken Heart after debate over contestants and costs
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Summary
The Huntington City Council voted to award a four-year contract for the city rodeo to Broken Heart Rodeo Company, following debate about which bidder could bring the most contestants and produce the biggest gate receipts.
The Huntington City Council voted Sept. 17 to award a four-year contract to Broken Heart Rodeo Company to put on the city’s annual rodeo. Council members debated competing bids over whether a higher-priced contractor that had previously brought more contestants and rough stock would generate enough additional ticket revenue to justify the extra cost.
Councilors said Broken Heart had produced larger contestant rosters and stronger spectator turnouts at last year’s rodeo, which supporters argued would expand prize pools and increase gate receipts. One council member said Broken Heart “brought twice as many contestants” and that “everything’s bigger,” while others urged the council to require clearer bid guarantees about how many riders and animals each bidder would supply.
Staff noted procurement rules ordinarily favor the lowest responsive bid unless council documents a justification for selecting a higher-priced option. After discussion, a councilor moved to award the four-year contract to Broken Heart; the motion was seconded and carried with council votes in favor.
The council did not record contract dollar amounts or a detailed guarantee of contestant numbers in the meeting record; staff were directed to follow through with contract paperwork and to communicate specifics to the council and event organizers.