Finance Committee to meet this afternoon | Local News

Among the items scheduled is a funding request for the 2024 UFO/Alien Festival from the event’s community working group. They are seeking $250,000 in Lodgers’ Tax revenue from the city to help with the event.

Of that total amount, $100,000 each would be for advertising and forms of entertainment during the festival. The remaining $50,000 would be for two sets of needs and split into $25,000 portions.

Specifically, one portion would pay for sanitation, security, first aid, supplies, cooling stations and medical emergency staff. The other would be for such things as event pins for surveys, volunteer T-shirts and uniforms, safety vests, information booth maps, digital and print event schedules, posters, handouts and booklets.

Councilors, during their meeting on Jan. 11, approved a memorial meant to guide them on how the city should be involved — including in what matter to finance — the next festival. 

All mentions of dollar amounts that had been included in the original proposal were removed from a previous draft. It also states that the city will use Lodgers’ Tax revenue over the use of the general fund, which has occurred in the past.

Studies on utility rates 

Also on the meeting agenda is whether committee members should recommend approval of rate studies for water and wastewater utilities as well as the solid waste department.

City councilors held a workshop on Monday about the three rate studies, and accompanying proposed code changes needed, to implement the rate revisions and policy modifications. 

Each of the studies calls for significant overall increases in revenue to keep up with operations costs. Customers would see higher utility bills if the rates contained in these studies were to be approved by city councilors.

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