Pleasant Grove staff propose 2026 special-events list and flag budget for expanded hours

City Administrator Scott presented a proposed 2026 special-events calendar and told the council staff will request additional special-events funding in the next budget cycle, specifying the request would use “care tax money, not general fund money.”

The proposal consolidates recurring community celebrations, identifies Viking Day and the Christmas tree lighting among the highest-attended events and recommends discontinuing Summerbration and Bike the Hood from the city-run list because of capacity and participation concerns. Scott said some events previously run by the recreation center will come under the events coordinator’s purview.

Council members praised recent turnout and flagged staff capacity as the principal constraint. One council member asked whether the council could allocate funding to expand “Annie’s” hours; Scott said making the position full-time is a budget decision and preferred to discuss it during the budget process. Multiple council members said the city should avoid burning out the events coordinator and suggested staff examine options, including hiring or handing events off to third parties.

Several council members and staff discussed using a third-party promoter or issuing an RFP to run vendor-style events (a boutique/market model). Scott referenced the Busy Bee Boutique as a prior third-party vendor organizer used for Strawberry Days and said a third party could manage vendor recruitment and sales compliance while the city provides the venue and limited logistical support.

Next steps: staff will research third-party vendors and timing alternatives (for example, moving a boutique event to June to reduce conflict with late-summer festivals) and return with a revised proposal and budget request. The council did not take formal action at the meeting; staffing-hour changes were identified for the budget calendar.