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Council reallocates event duties to staffer Amelia, retitles Main Street funding in draft budget
Summary
The draft budget removes events from Main Street’s responsibilities and assigns them to a staffer named Amelia; the $35,000 labeled for Main Street will be split, and the council discussed restoring a $10,000 contribution to Keep Lawrence Beautiful.
Council members discussed reorganizing event delivery and downtown economic efforts in the draft budget. Staff said Amelia will take responsibility for city‑sponsored events such as Thursday night activities, food‑truck nights, Rhythm on the Rails and Easter egg hunts — functions previously managed by Main Street and by a staffer identified as Diane.
Main Street will focus more on recruiting new downtown businesses and streetscape improvements, while some event funding previously budgeted to Main Street will be retitled to reflect city staffing. The budget includes a $35,000 line currently tied to Main Street; staff and councilors asked that the allocation be split into separate line items so the portion that funds city‑run events is distinct from funds that remain with Main Street.
On community partners, staff said the Lawrence County Development Corp funding remains at $10,000 and councilors proposed restoring the city’s historical $10,000 annual contribution to Keep Lawrence Beautiful after a two‑year lapse. A council member also asked for a separate $5,000 education line item (currently embedded in an $83,000 grouping) to be made explicit in the budget.
The council did not finalize these fiscal allocations at the workshop; staff offered to add separate line items to improve clarity in the published budget.
