By Gary Ogle
gogle@wbcowqel.com
Members of the Bratwurst Festival Board of Directors got what they wanted at Tuesday’s Bucyrus City Council meeting. They just didn’t get it unanimously.
Council member Bill O’Rourke made it clear he was not and is not in favor of providing city services to the Bratwurst Festival at no charge, an item the Bratwurst Festival Committee has typically reimbursed the city anywhere from $12,000 to $18,000.
“I was against this a month ago and I’m still against it,” O’Rourke said prior to the vote, but after additional debate and questioning Bratwurst Festival Board President Deb Mason about festival finances.
True to his word, O’Rourke was the lone dissenting vote when council passed emergency legislation for both Bratwurst Festival street closures and a Bratwurst Festival service agreement.
O’Rourke’s opposition stems from paying for the requisite city services for the festival from the General Fund. When Mayor Jeff Reser pointed out the money would come from the city’s share of bed tax as suggested by council member Steve Pifer, O’Rourke quickly responded that it was still coming from the General Fund regardless of the source.
“Asking the people of Bucyrus to pay for this is wrong,” O’Rourke said.
But when O’Rourke said his displeasure came from the way the measure was presented and passed through committee, inferring the administration went about the matter in a way so as to bypass council input, he got just as quick a response in return from Reser.
“We actually made no promises to the Bratwurst Festival Committee. We just made a proposal to them,” Reser said. “I think it’s a good plan. Our intentions were never to ramrod this through council. We need to find a way to make sure the Bratwurst Festival is successful.”
Reser went on to say the city had the money this year and offered to revisit the idea again next year in an attempt to appease O’Rourke. At that point, Pifer had something to say and made his feelings known that the arrangement should be permanent.
“I want to move on so we don’t have to do this crap again,” Pifer stated.
Council member Dan O’Rourke quipped, “It probably cost $16,000 to do the resolutions every year.”
Other measures approved by council on Tuesday included one governing depository agreements, another amending the traffic control map for Nora and Inez streets, one for a custodian/clerk appropriation and the final one for a mill-and-pave amendment concerning Washington Square.
Joe Graham and Carolyn Shireman of the Positive Seekers presented a report on the Red, White and Blues event. Council received a request from the Ohio Division of Liquor Control concerning the transfer of the Dillinger liquor license and a thank you letter from Maryhaven for pool passes for the ISAT picnic hosted by Judge Sean Leuthold at Aumiller Park.
Council adjourned into an executive session at the request of Law Director Rob Ratliff to discuss pending or imminent court action.
The next meeting of the Bucyrus city council has been moved to Aug. 1 to accommodate National Nite Out parties on Aug. 2.