Staff: South Ogden Days returned a modest surplus; vendors and signage need fixes

Danielle, a city staff member who led the post‑event wrapup, told the council the event’s “expenses overall were about $95,000” against about $121,000 in available funding, leaving roughly $25,000 remaining. She said her 2025 goal is to avoid using reserve or extra balances by securing more sponsorships and leaning on local Utah performers to reduce talent fees.

Danielle told council there were 15 food‑truck applications this year but seven vendors did not show; five of the no‑shows were food vendors, leaving some booths selling only lemonade. “The way the process worked this year is if you applied and you paid, you were in,” she said, and recommended moving to an interest‑then‑select model for food vendors to improve variety and vendor experience. She also flagged poor on‑site communication and insufficient signage as recurring complaints and suggested identifying new barricade vendors and investing in clearer event signage.

Council members suggested recruiting local cultural groups and square‑dance or break‑dance performances to broaden family appeal and boost attendance. One council member proposed replacing some food‑truck nights with department fundraisers (for example, a fire department hamburger fundraiser) and programming smaller stages for children’s activities. Danielle said a full recap meeting with fire, parks and police had yielded additional operational notes and that some legacy activities (the talent show) may be discontinued due to low participation.

The council did not take a formal vote on event policy at the work session but thanked staff for the short‑notice execution and asked staff to pursue earlier outreach to local businesses and tighter vendor selection for next year’s event.