BUCYRUS, OH (CRAWFORD COUNTY NOW)—The Bucyrus City Council Finance Committee convened on Thursday night in the council chambers to discuss various financial matters, including the city’s ongoing relationship with the Bratwurst Festival. A key agenda item was the review of the future dynamics between the city and the popular festival.
Following a requested examination of the city by the state auditor, it was revealed that Bucyrus is not facing as dire financial conditions as initially anticipated. However, in an effort to safeguard against unfavorable financial outcomes, the city is reevaluating its association with the festival. As per the existing agreement, if the city opts to discontinue providing services to the festival without charge, a one-year notice must be given to the festival organizers.
The deliberations have sparked conversations about the festival’s future. Adam Heinlen, President of the Bucyrus Bratwurst Festival, expressed concerns about the potential repercussions if the festival loses the support of the council. Councilwoman Vicki Dishon emphasized the importance of establishing a balanced give-and-take relationship between the city and the festival to ensure mutual benefit.
Bucyrus resident, Greg White, addressed the committee with reports filed with the state by the festival outlining their income and assets from the Festival. His reports cover the 2022 festival as the reports for last years festival are not due until May. White indicated he would retrieve those as well.
White reported that as of the 2022 filing, the festival reported gross revenue of $131,000.00 and $211,000.00 in assets.
White also noted that as of last year the festival established its own “cash only” beer garden in the parking of the FC Bank. The bank donated their lot to the festival. It is not yet known how much the festival made on that endeavor.
In a notable turn of events, Councilman Kevin Myers recused himself from the Committee and addressed them from a separate podium, following the guidance of Law Director Brian Gernert.
Myers’ underscored the significance of transparency and impartiality in the discussions surrounding the city’s financial commitments and partnership with the Bratwurst Festival. To that end, Myers told the committee that he would be happy to share his budget with the finance committee but that he had no control over the books.
Law Director Brian Gernert noted that new attorneys will be representing the Festival and that he would promote the opportunity for the committee to see the books. Gernert did not commit further.
Myers lengthy statement can be read here:
I am standing on this side of the podium this evening by the legal opinion of the Law Director.
I feel that by not participating as a member of this committee in these discussions, it is now my duty as the director of the festival to stand here and educate you on the implications of your desire to charge the festival for the services they are using from the city. Before I get to what those city services exactly are, let me tell you about the services that the festival provides to our community:
We provide electric service, including the physical hookup as well as paying the AEP bill to the Bike Show, Car Show, 1st Fridays. Our parade committee offers support and equipment to the Santa Parade. We provide the concrete barriers for the bike show. All of this at zero cost. If made to compensate the city, this will not continue to be the case.
We also started, several years ago, charging local non-profits only $100 for their 30 foot space during the festival. This is a total loss of $3780 in revenue to the festival. Clubs like the Bucyrus Band Boosters, Col. Crawford Lions Club, Knights of Columbus, Wynford Athletic Boosters, and Col. Crawford Corvette Raffle will have to give up approximately $900 each of their profits to cover their space at the festival
The services we receive from the city include street closure, trash pickup, police, and fire/EMS. Trash pickup the last several years has included dumpsters being placed adjacent to the festival and our volunteers transport the trash twice a day to those dumpsters. On Friday and Saturday mornings, the garbage truck comes through emptying barrels. Saturday we only had a driver, to cut down on overtime. Our volunteers dumped the barrels into the back of the garbage truck. Police help with the parade lineup and patrols during the day – while we hire out private security overnight. Fire helps with inspecting the booths for fire code violations and EMS covers the eating contests. I do not have a cost yet for actual costs incurred for street, trash, or police, but the Fire Chief has quoted me that $1000 is all we are using of his staff’s additional time for these services. I will note that a majority of the additional police calls during the festival happen in the evenings at the local liquor establishments, and are not directly related to the festival’s operations. I will also add that when you drive through town on Sunday morning, it is as if the festival never happened. Can the same be said for other events? The trash lays on city curbs until Monday morning after many of those events.
We do provide two golf carts for the police department and one EMS cart for the Fire Department at no cost. This will also not be able to be continued.
Should the festival have to pay the city for services, we will have to adjust our budget to increase revenue and decrease expenses – taking away attractions and entertainment. This further only hurts the residents of the community. But what if the expense is too much for the budget? What if the festival ceased to exist because of this? What about all of the 4H clubs, ball teams, etc that sell parking in local business parking lots? Cutting into those groups funding. What about the local fraternal organizations beer gardens that would cease to exist? They also count on the revenues to support their causes. What about the additional bed tax generated during the festival – that the city keeps 50% of in their general fund? That too, would go away.
If the city chooses to charge the festival for services provided – which at the time I served as President of the Ohio Festivals and Events association we had about 80 member festivals and only two cities charged their festivals anything, I fully expect to see any and every organization using city services to be charged for those services. Those include the bike show, car show, 1st Fridays, Music at the Mural, Santa Parade, Memorial Day Parade, Suicide Prevention Walk, and Funeral Home escorts. Do I think any of these should be charged? Absolutely not, but if you are going to single out the Bratwurst Festival, you had better be fair across the board.
In closing, I merely want to educate you that the festival brings in a lot of revenue to our city. We should all continue to work together, not against one another. I believe the few thousand dollars we are really talking about here will snowball exponentially into losses to other organizations that they can’t and should not be asked to absorb. The current agreement that is in place works for everyone and should be left alone.
Councilwoman Carolyn Shireman echoed Dishon’s desire to split the costs. She suggested the city give a flat sponsorship to the festival of $8000.00.
Kevin Myers said he remains open to discussions on the matter. He noted that the Festival had offered to share expenses in the past but the former administration declined their offer.
Any decision made will not affect this year’s festival.