Council votes to fund up to $20,000 for July event, refund remainder of Safe & Sane trust to nonprofits

On Jan. 20 the council revisited the Safe & Sane fireworks trust (the fund for Fourth‑of‑July events) and debated six staff options ranging from doing nothing to refunding all contributions. Accounting and revenue manager Matt Adams told council the trust balance for event funds was $76,009.82.

Parks staff presented two event options: a larger family event estimated around $20,000 and a smaller option (for example, a pickleball tournament) nearer $10,000. Public commenters urged celebration for the nation’s 250th anniversary and said a community event would be important for residents who cannot travel.

Council discussion focused on two points: whether to refund funds that were collected last year for a show that did not occur, and how much to keep available for a city‑run event. Council member Bridge moved a substitute motion to budget up to $20,000 for a 2026 event, retain $5,000 in the trust, and refund the weighted remainder of last year’s collections to the nonprofits that paid in. After a second, the motion passed. Council also directed staff to return with a plan for using enforcement funds (which are held separately) and to provide transparency on how enforcement and event funds would be spent.

Matt Adams and the parks staff said a partial refund is administratively feasible using a weighted allocation across seven years of collections; staff noted it is difficult to calculate exact dollar‑for‑dollar refunds for every donation year but that they can use a weighted method to distribute funds. The police and fire departments agreed to bring specific staffing and enforcement cost proposals back to council so the council can consider whether some trust funds should be used for overtime enforcement during fireworks season.

The council’s substitute approach aims to provide an event this year while returning unused funds to nonprofits that contributed in the prior year.