By Krystal Smalley
ksmalley@wbcowqel.com
The Bratwurst Festival Committee was unable to achieve a request made by Bucyrus City Council, but the committee is hoping that another option will lend them a bit of credit.
During Tuesday night’s Bucyrus City Council meeting, Kevin Myers, the assistant festival director, addressed the members in attendance over the council’s desire to have the event become a 501(c)3 organization. The festival, however, did not meet the proper qualifications of structure and operation to obtain that filing status.
Myers reported, though, that the festival fit into the 501(c)(4) nonprofit category, which is what it is currently registered under with the IRS. A 501(c)(4) organization operates exclusively for the promotion of social welfare.
“It is our hope and desire that the City of Bucyrus and its elected officials understand this,” members of the festival committee wrote in a letter to the council.
Myers approached the council on another subject – that of permanently distributing one half of the Bed Tax to the partnership of the Bratwurst Festival and the City of Bucyrus. He said it was the hope of the festival committee that the extra funds would help offset and cover the costs the city incurs during the festival.
“This permanent agreement will allow us to prepare our budgets from year to year without the concerns of costs incurred by the City of Bucyrus,” Myers said.
He noted that Bucyrus was one of four municipalities in the state that charged local festivals with fees. The council voted this past summer to not charge the Bratwurst Festival for city services rendered during the three-day event, a reimbursement of $12,000 to $18,000 in past years.
The matter was placed in the Health and Safety, and Finance committees for further discussion.
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Council approved numerous pieces of legislation dealing with the AFSCME contracts. Notably, wages saw a 2.25 percent increase year-to-year for the next three years. Those ordinances replaced temporary legislation passed in January that allowed for employees to be paid until the AFSCME contract negotiations were completed.
Council also passed a Bed Tax agreement with the Bucyrus Tourism and Visitors’ Bureau. That agreement allows for 50 percent of the Bed Tax collected from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, 2017, to be given to the Visitors’ Bureau to promote tourism and attract visitors and conventions to the area.
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Council approved numerous pieces of legislation dealing with the AFSCME contracts. Notably, wages saw a 2.25 percent increase year-to-year for the next three years. Those ordinances replaced temporary legislation passed in January that allowed for employees to be paid until the AFSCME contract negotiations were completed.
Council also passed a Bed Tax agreement with the Bucyrus Tourism and Visitors’ Bureau. That agreement allows for 50 percent of the Bed Tax collected from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, 2017, to be given to the Visitors’ Bureau to promote tourism and attract visitors and conventions to the area.
RELATED CONTENT: Public supports outdoor dining in downtown Bucyrus