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Thursday, May 08, 2008

Letters To the Editor



      Events May Strain Edgewood Budget
       I AM WRITING IN RESPONSE to recent letters published in the Telegraph concerning the town of Edgewood's agreements with Wildlife West Nature Park for a Music Festival and Run, Rally, and Rock event. Some of these letters distort and omit important facts and also serve to politicize the issues and inflame emotion. The real issues, which have been discussed very little, have to do with accountability, sustainability of the events, and the municipal budget.
       One author includes a long list of events and a call for vocal public support to see that these events are not canceled, however, the list consists mostly of events that have never been in question. Examples include the COW Awards, which saw a modest budget increase this year, as well as star parties that are part of Parks and Recreation's regular program. Another focuses on funding streams related to the Music Festival but omits a key issue about the number of “comped” tickets at this event. The Town Council discovered last year that 371 tickets, about 21 percent of the total, or $5,500 worth, were given free to bands, their families, park vendors and sponsors. This forfeited revenue was then accounted for as an expense.
       It remains unclear if these sponsors support the event or the park's general operations. While it's true that the written MOUs have changed very little over time, the town has felt the need to request more detailed reporting. That seems like a reasonable thing to do for events that cost almost $30,000 in public funds.
       Don't get me wrong. I think these events are great, and I realize they are popular with a sizeable segment of the community, but an effort has to be made to make them self-sustaining and document, in a transparent way, the flow of funding. Thirty thousand dollars is a lot of money, especially as Edgewood struggles to fully staff and equip a police department and pave roads, with gross receipts revenue still an open question.
       Our Parks and Recreation director has encouraged the council to move ahead with agreements quickly, based in large part on the reputation of WWNP and its director, their pressing need, past contributions to the community and the popularity of the event. In addition to issues with the MOU itself, the council has to consider its other funding priorities, like police and sewers, and has a fiduciary responsibility to present a balanced budget to the state based on current revenue.
       Until there is a better sense of new revenue that may result from Wal-Mart gross receipts, it may be necessary to limit discretionary spending. I'm confident that these events will continue. I'm also hopeful that we can keep our disagreements on a professional level and reach a workable compromise without resorting to name-calling.
       GLENN FELTON
       Edgewood Town Councilor
   

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