Promoter tells council he lost $76,000; Navasota staff, promoter to negotiate Texas Birthday Bash contract amendments

Promoter Charlie Diggs told the Navasota City Council on April 27 that this year’s Texas Birthday Bash lost substantial money and that he would seek an amended contract if the city wants him to continue producing the event.

"At the end of the day, I lost $76,000," Diggs said, describing vendor and artist cancellations tied to a late date change and the unexpected park rental/setup fees he was charged this year. He said last year’s sponsorship payment had been larger and that the new rental fee (roughly $6,000–$10,000 as discussed in the meeting) added to his costs. Diggs asked the council to consider higher sponsorship—he said his preference would be $100,000 and his minimum acceptable increase would be around $75,000—and requested that any venue fee be included in a revised sponsorship amount.

City staff responded that the existing contract contemplates a $50,000 sponsorship that can be a combination of cash and in-kind contributions and that, after consulting with the city attorney, staff had netted in-kind items this year (use of facilities, security personnel and setup costs) into the sponsorship calculation. A staff speaker explained that the in-kind portion this year amounted to about $10,000 and that the city manager does not have authority under the adopted fee schedule to unilaterally waive those fees.

Council members discussed several options: amending the contract to increase the city sponsorship or change fee treatment, moving the event back to the city lawn as a free city-produced festival, issuing a request for proposals to seek another promoter, or negotiating contingency language for weather-related date changes. Staff noted the current contract limits venue locations to within city limits (which would preclude using the expo center outside city limits) and that the contract does not currently contemplate a date-change allowance.

No contract extension or formal amendment was approved at the meeting. Council members asked staff to meet with Diggs to explore amendments and alternatives, and to return with recommendations. "Staff and I have talked about it and there have been some comments about potentially moving it back here to the lawn like in years past," a staff speaker said, adding that the city generally avoids acting as a professional promoter and tends to offer free public concerts rather than compete with private promoters.

The council took no formal vote on the contract during the special meeting and directed staff to report back with options for amendments, fee treatment, or a procurement process for future event promotion.