Caesar! It
is not all about the spectacle!
Various
Roman emperors would put on exuberant spectacles in the Coliseum to entertain
the populous when there was dissatisfaction within the Roman Senate. Our
festivals have taken on this appearance as the years have rolled on. Everyone
seems to love the festivals as an apparent free party; but as your parents
would tell you "there is no free lunch." Someone is paying, but no
one seems to have any idea how much.
There is no
doubt that the summer festivals have had a positive benefit in promoting Butte
and changing the minds of many Montanan's impression of Butte from a negative
to a positive.
The issue at hand is that these Festivals have a never-ending appetite
for additional funding. Specific allocated public funds are never enough and
these established organizations and groups ask for funding each year after
year.
When the URA
first established funding for events and festivals, their program requirements
were set up with limits on the amount of funding with a requirement of a 20%
reduction each year until the event was self-sustaining. This has not remotely happened.
In fact the appetite for money has grown each year, dipping into such funds as
economic development money that, in my opinion and by established guidelines, would
be better utilized for new economic opportunities, not old established ones.
The “in-kind”
donation of people hours and equipment by BSB is not free. Hours worked are
logged in, salaries are paid, equipment used is charged against the BSB budget
and fuel is utilized. This in-kind
donation by BSB is an actual cost.
In addition,
our summer construction season is short, and equipment used for such critical
needs as road construction are diverted to support the summer festivals. No one
can dispute that our roads are NOT in premier shape.
BSB equipment and man power should be utilized
on basic public works projects. Required festival setup and construction should funded by
the various event organizations that should be utilizing local contractors, labor
and volunteers.
It was also
quite amusing that one week before a certain festival last summer, the Head of Public
Works declared “all potholes filled.” So, in essence, we would make the
connection that all equipment being utilized, all day long, for a week before
and after the festival, was not really needed for public works. Ok……….
There is
always a lot of talk about the economic impact of the festivals, estimates of
visitation and the amount of money brought into the economy. It is difficult to
believe that some of the reports are valid considering that virtually all of
the vendors are from out of town, whether they be food vendors or out of town
crafts persons. The vendors pay fees that support the festival and the profit
goes to the out of towner. Local motels see a spike in overnight stays but not
dramatically. Visitors often come for one day and are from a 200 mile radius.
I can tell you from experience in owning a
gift shop business in the heart of Uptown on the corner of Montana and Park
Street that our worst summer days were during festivals. We might as well have
closed our doors and simply enjoyed the event.
Public
comments were “Well, you must have raked it in during the festival with all
those people in town!” Um… no. It is an urban legend for retailers that the
festivals line their pockets. Ask any retail business in Uptown Butte during
the festivals if business is great during the festivals, virtually all will say
no.
Some restaurants and bars have indicated good paydays,
but not extraordinary. Festival goers are buying over-priced funnel cakes and
other food and buying crafts from various artisans; the last thing a sun burned
festival goer is going to do is shop local. Uptown merchants work and pay taxes
for 365 days of the years vs. the limited days of the festivals.
Our sporting
events and various tournaments have significant impacts to the local economy
that are tracked quite accurately. Families purchase meals, stay in hotels and
visit attractions.
This same
type of accurate tracking should be applied to the various festivals. Some
Festivals have paid staff, others are all volunteer and others are set up to
make money. Some festivals receive significant amounts of public support and
money and other very little. Some festivals are virtually self sufficient while
others are always requesting more money.
The point
here is that all festivals should become self-sustaining and that all of these
events should be treated with a formula of equality based upon the positive and
proven economic benefit to the community.
I am not
advocating ending public funding or support of festivals, but I am advocating for
the careful evaluation of their true impacts and costs to the tax payer. I have
specifically not called out any particular event or festival on purpose, because
the formula to evaluate their benefit has yet to be developed. The evaluation of each festival can be
undertaken in a fair and impartial manner. It will certainly not be a major
crisis if a festival has to be slightly downsized, location adjusted or its
schedule and programs revised. Fair is fair and local taxes should certainly benefit
local citizens and business because basically the free festivals are actually
being paid for with your money.
There is no better history of a "Free Festival" becoming a financial suckhole than "Burning Man." You might want to check it out.
