Last month’s Fourth of July fireworks show at Central Christian Church is the only special event in Gilbert slated to receive taxpayer funding this year, leaving more than a dozen others, including the Gilbert Days Parade in November, reliant on fundraising and sponsors.

Although a budget adopted by the Town Council in June does not include data for specific events, the document indicates Gilbert plans to spend about $275,000 for special events in fiscal 2012-13.

According to records obtained by The Republic, about $265,000 of that funding will pay personnel costs for the town’s special-events staff, which includes a full-time recreation supervisor, full-time recreation coordinator and at least three other part-time positions. The remaining $10,000 supported the July 4 “Fire in the Sky” program at Central Christian’s Gilbert campus.

Gilbert does not plan to dedicate town funding to any other events, including Gilbert Days, the Global Village Festival and Holiday Nights of Lights. Instead, event organizers, sponsors and charitable residents will be expected to cover full costs, including town services such as police, fire and traffic support.

Town funding for special events has steadily declined, falling 49 percent from about $543,000 in fiscal 2009.

Gilbert’s budget once included funding for an Independence Day fireworks show and the Gilbert Days Parade, both marquee events that regularly draw thousands of spectators. Both were run by the volunteer group Gilbert Promotional Corp.

More recently, however, the Town Council has cut the amount it spends in support of fireworks and no longer provides any direct support to GPC.

In 2008, the council authorized $25,000 for fireworks, but that commitment was reduced to $15,000 each of the next two years. In 2011, GPC quit putting on a fireworks show, and the town began its partnership with Central Christian Church, providing $7,500 in support last year and $10,000 in fiscal 2013, according to budget documents.

Knowing what support to expect from town officials has sometimes been a challenge for community organizations, and the council has been criticized for what some see as a lack of transparency regarding event funding.

When a preliminary budget was released in May, the document indicated zero funding for the fireworks show and listed the Gilbert Days Parade and Constitution Week as separate budget items. The final budget a month later included fireworks funding but lumped all of the events together, making it impossible to see how much the town planned to spend on each event.

Gilbert budget administrator Dawn Irvine said the change was not intended to hide information and the budget data are available to the public upon request.

Councilwoman Jenn Daniels, who has been part of a small group focused on overhauling the town’s special events system, said it was likely an oversight and acknowledged there is work to be done.

“I think it’s something we need to fix,” Daniels said. “It is certainly the intent to have those discussions publicly well enough in advance so that public and council will weigh in.”

Vice Mayor John Sentz said specific event data should be included in an appendix to the budget.

By the numbers

Here’s a breakdown of the most expensive special events included in Gilbert’s budget in terms of anticipated personnel expenses and amount that will be paid back to the town:

Fall festival

Expenses: $77,000. Revenue: $77,000.

Global Village Festival

Expenses: $30,000. Revenue: $30,000.

Gilbert Days Parade

Expenses: $20,100. Revenue: $20,100.

Holiday Nights of Lights

Expenses: $18,200. Revenue: $14,000.

Superhero Adventure Run

Expenses: $12,200. Revenue: $15,000.

Fourth of July fireworks

Expenses: $10,000. Revenue: $0.