SUBJECT/RECOMMENDATION:
Title
Approve co-sponsorship and waiver of requested city fees and service charges for 27 Co-sponsored Special Events at an estimated General Fund cost of $430,550.00 ($86,000.00 in cash contributions and $344,550.00 in service contributions) and Enterprise Fund cost of $83,234.00 for the purposes of Fiscal Year 2022/23 departmental budget submittals. (consent)
Body
SUMMARY:
Per City Council Policy, Item 2-21, Special Event Fees, there shall be an annual review of city sponsored/co-sponsored events during the budget process. An agenda item approving co-sponsorship and level of support for these events will be brought before the City Council at the beginning of the budget process each fiscal year. In the event additional money is required beyond what is approved in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2022/23 budget, City Council approval will be required.
For FY 2022/23 staff is recommending $86,000.00 of cash contributions, an increase of $2,250.00 over FY 2021/22. Cash contribution requests for 2022/23 are for Jazz Holiday ($75,000.00), MLK Jr. Celebration ($6,000.00) and the Veteran’s Alliance Veteran’s Day Event ($5,000.00).
Total General Fund requests decreased by $117,675.00 from $548,225.00 to $430,550.00, due to a reduction in city-provided services at select large scale events, as well as the elimination of events that did not request support. Additionally, funding for Special Events occurring in the downtown Community Redevelopment Area will be reviewed by the Downtown Development Board for future funding requests, resulting in a reduction of 10 events occurring in the downtown that were previously co-sponsored by General and Enterprise Funds. Enterprise Fund costs increased by $15,629.00, due to increases in city-provided services, as well as the addition of seven new events for FY 2022/23.
Two events from 2021/22 did not receive funding approval by the Special Events evaluation committee, including the 12 Days of Christmas Event, which relocated their event space outside of the city’s corporate limits, as well as the Walk for Willa, which will be approved at a departmental level. Event funding for the 2023 Clearwater Celebrates America event will be included in a separate project budget as part of the grand opening of Imagine Clearwater. Also included in the Special Events Budget Estimates chart for FY 2022/23 is a list of twenty-four additional special events requiring some form of support from the Special Events Division.
It should be noted that none of the four events scheduled for September have been given the use of Coachman Park for their event. Staff is of the opinion that three of these events will request use of the park if available. New policies and procedures for the use of Coachman Park will be completed prior to the Special Event application process in January 2023.
APPROPRIATION CODE AND AMOUNT: N/A
USE OF RESERVE FUNDS: N/A