The Suisun City Council unanimously approved its events calendar for the spring, summer, fall and winter Tuesday night, revealing many of the costs behind some of the city’s most popular celebrations.
The council agreed to spend more than $336,000 on events including Friday concerts, the July 4th celebration and Christmas at the Waterfront, which also happen to be the three most expensive events to put on.
The July 4th celebration was listed at costing roughly $73,000, not including advertising and entertainment costs.
In fact, Community Services Director Mick Jessop listed a combined $100,000 in advertising and staff costs for all the events put on at the waterfront, separate from an initial $236,000 total.
Mayor Pete Sanchez balked at the figure, wondering what portion of the money went to what.
“I have no way of knowing how much of that went to advertising,” he said, later insisting that the council be given more detailed information on an amount of money as big as $336,000.
City Councilwoman Jane Day asked if some events not put on by the city, such as the Jet Ski races, should pay for minor city-incurred costs.
This led Councilman Sam Derting to defend the events, saying they brought business and exposure to downtown.
Councilman Mike Hudson wondered if the amount of business they brought in matched or exceeded the cost incurred by the city.
In the end, the council wanted Jessop to break the numbers down more clearly the next time he approached the city with costs for events.
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