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Fourth of July committee asks Wawarsing to chip in about $4,500–$5,000 for parade police coverage
Summary
The Fourth of July Committee told the town board that parade security requires roughly 25 posts and asked the town to contribute an estimated $4,500–$5,000 to cover police staffing; board members discussed fundraising shortfalls and volunteer declines but did not take an immediate vote on funding.
A representative of the Fourth of July Committee told the Wawarsing Town Board that the parade’s traditional route cannot easily be rerouted to avoid crossing Route 209 and that the police department now requires about 25 posts to secure the route, roughly double the number the committee had expected. The committee asked the town to consider contributing to the additional policing costs, which it estimated at approximately $4,500 to $5,000 depending on officer mix and overtime/benefit calculations.
The committee explained it raised money through events such as spaghetti dinners and tag days, which typically netted about $2,000–$2,600, but said volunteer ranks have shrunk from about 14–15 regular members to roughly seven. Those staffing limits, combined with increased public-safety posts, have produced higher parade costs than in prior years; a committee member said the 2023 public‑safety expense was nearly $10,000.
Supervisor and board members clarified that the village has no capacity to cover the full cost this year and discussed a guiding principle for splitting event costs: if an event would continue without the village, it should be a town expense. Board members noted the town already contributes about $15,000 for fireworks (the committee supplements that and fundraising supports other parade expenses). No formal motion to fund the parade was recorded in the meeting minutes.
Committee members urged longer lead times and contingency planning for future events, citing the difficulty of recruiting volunteers and seeking additional donors. A board member recommended the committee consider alternative fundraising or budgetary adjustments for next year.
The request was made during the public comment/petitioner portion of the June meeting; the town board did not take a final vote on a town contribution at the session and did not specify an amount to be added to the fiscal budget during this meeting. The committee’s representative asked the board to consider the townwide character of the parade when weighing contributions.
