Christmas Extravaganza, or, uh, Circus?

Miss me?

Yup, even the Curmudgeon needs a break.

Summer is about wound down, and the city budget season is too, but the elections are about to wind up!

Anyhoo, Curmudgeon made it through the last city council meeting. It was a long one. More chatter about senior discounts and fees, etc., etc.

Someone needs to get Marky-Marc Payne to speak more coherently into his microphone.

Long discussions on planning fees, which are important to builders ‘n such.

Here we go: 

Curmudgeon did promise dishing about city “tourism” events. It seems to me, dear readers, that what a tourism event is, is relative. Everyone keeps talking about “heads in beds” as the criteria for using hotel occupancy tax funds, of which the city council gave the thumbs-up to the city’s tourism department to the tune of $70,255.

Curmudgeon was preparing for there to be a bit of a brouhaha at the September 4 workshop. 

Evidently there was a gross failure to effectively communicate at the August 2 meeting about one of the tourism events, the city’s “Christmas Extravaganza” scheduled for Friday, November 30.

Councilman David I’m-a-writer-not-a-talker Morris asked if the CE was the same day as the Chamber of Commerce’s Krist Kindl Markt. Ms. Ariana Beckman in the Budget Department said she wasn’t sure.

Parks & Rec Director Joe Brown answered Mr. Morris’ question, sorta, saying that the extravaganza is going to be on November 30 2018.

Mayor Seffrood then asked if it was the same day.

Mr. Brown said that no, “It was the following week.”

Um.

Did anyone have the thought to pull out a calendar and check? It’s no secret when Krist Kindl Markt is.It's been around a long time.

Anyway, does it matter that two organizations have events in the city on the same night?

Does it matter?

At the workshop, Joe Brown said the city will help “promote” Krist Kindl Markt along with their one-night fest. According to Joe Brown, he was to meet with the interim chamber director the very next day after the meeting to talk about it. We'll see how that goes.

Back to tourism. Here’s the rundown of the city’s upcoming “tourism” events and how they are funded with hotel occupancy tax dollars:

Fall-o-ween Festival $9,555

Christmas extravaganza  $18,000  (Yikes!! What are they spending this on, for a one-night event???? An event that they are charging $5 per carload for? What does the $5 get you????????)

Polar Bear Plunge $5,300

Farmers Market $1,200

Food truck fest $12,000

Recreation and tourism guide – $24,200

Totaling $70,255 for the fiscal year beginning October 1, 2018.

So what’s a tourism event?

Is it something that brings publicity to the city?

Something that makes outsiders want to come and visit, and spend money? Because that’s what you want, people to want to come to Copperas Cove because it’s a happenin’ place.

The Parks & Rec department promotes its quarterly activities guide as $24,200 worth of advertising for the city’s tourism events.

Is that a good use of those funds? The majority of events listed in the parks and rec guide aren’t really tourism events.

Who would travel to Copperas Cove for their kid to play soccer or football? Five or six?

How many of those events listed above are true tourism events, as opposed to mere “community” events?

Does Copperas Cove have events that are distinctive and a little different than other communities?

Do these events provide value to those who attend?

Why does the city feel the need to charge $5 per carload for events?

To keep the number of attendees down?

Or to recoup costs?

Or make money?

What costs do they have to recoup?

When you rent a bouncy house, it costs the same whether 20 kids or 200 kids use it. 

When you pay an entertainer for a gig, it will cost the same no matter how many people show up to hear them.

Some things to think about.

Curmudgeon is curious to see how the Food Truck Festival ($5 per carload) will do on Saturday, September 22, the same day as another event, the first multicultural event held by the Five Hills Scholarship Pageant royalty (an event which is free).

In the future:

Some things have been brewing with FATHOM, the increasingly inept water billing company. Betcha the big-wig comes into town to try for some damage control. Too late, buddy. More on that later. 

And probably the senior citizen water discount, too.  

Tuesday night’s meetings look like a light schedule. Curmudgeon will buy snacks anyway and see what happens.