Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Update on the proposed event fees for Reservoir

The Shoreline Committee of the PRVWSD met yesterday to discussed a proposed fee increase for events held at Reservoir parks. The fee is currently $500 per event. The proposal recommends increasing the fee for events attended by over 1,500 people to the greater of $1,500 or 10% of the gross revenue from the event. The district will consider moneys paid by sponsors, vendors, participants, and attendees to be part of the gross revenue.

I spent most of the morning talking to various groups affected by the new fees- the Mississippi Symphony Orchestra, Madison Chamber of Commerce, Brown Bottling, and John Sigman, the Executive Director of the District. Here is what I learned.

There are two large events held at the Reservoir and they are both in May: the Regatta and Pepsi Pops. Approximately 3,000 people attend Pepsi Pops and 5,000 attend the Regatta. The new fee of 10% is taken from all revenue before expenses are paid. The trash is picked up by MSO and Chamber personnel and not district employees even though Mr. Sigman told the Clarion-Ledger:

"However, John Sigman, executive director of PRVWSD, said his agency doesn't receive state tax dollars, leaving him little other option than to assess a fee to recoup funds spent on preparing and cleaning the public parks where these events are held."

If there was one fact everyone I spoke to agreed on it was the event sponsors clean up the park immediately after the event is over. No district personnel are used. The policy states the financial responsibility for security belongs to the event sponsor. They said Ridgeland Police Department provides security and traffic detail for the two events.

The event sponsors also told JJ they were not notified about the new fees until late January when they called to make appointments to discuss logistics for the upcoming events in May. They claim no notice was given to them prior to the vote for the new fees by the Park Committee in January. They also claim the district did not notify them of the new changes until they called.. Budgets were set early last summer and tickets were already sold. For example, the MRSO includes Pepsi Pops in its season ticket package. Season tickets are paid by the end of August. The Symphony thus had no opportunity to plan for the 10% fee or include the increase in its season ticket prices. The Chamber itself was going to finally break even this year after 50 teams entered the event. This increase will put them back in the red.

The main complaint everyone has about the fee increase is there was no notice, a vote was taken, and they were told about it a little more than 90 days prior to the event. The agendas and minutes are not published on the district's website. Everyone said the same thing: this increase would cause the sponsors to lose money on these events.

Mr. Sigman told JJ the district supported these events and enjoys hosting them. However, he said the total expense to the district is two to three thousand dollars per event (He said he was guesstimating off of the top of his head.). The district does not issue new contracts until January and none had been signed. Mr. Sigman said the district called each party and told them about the proposed policy. Mr. Sigman was adamant in stating the district only receives fees from leaseholds and it can't afford to lose money on these events. The board has not approved the proposal and will consider it at its regular meeting on Thursday.

Disclosure: The MSO advertises Pepsi Pops on this site. Link to original post

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Just what are the expenses to the district is what I want to know. If security, staffing, and clean up are provided by the event organizers, just what is the district losing money on......

I smell a CROOK.

Anonymous said...

A Crook??? Surely you are jesting. (BTW, Mike isn't in jail - yet!) I'm sure the district has expenses, other than security, clean-up, etc. Whether is justifys these costs or not is subject to discussion. But "A crook" because they increased the fee from $500 to $1500 or 10%? A little harsh, don't ya' think?

Bill Dees said...

I don't smell a crook, there's no evidence of that. But if the District's expenses are "two to three thoudand dollars per event", then why in Heaven's name would the District charge one cent more for a permit?

Shadowfax said...

What the hell could it cost the district if the event organizers do the preparation, execution, security and cleanup? Maybe they have to pay the cops overtime to sit out in the police boat and enjoy the show with their special guests.

Anonymous said...

wow! deja vu! way back when, there was a public park ( near the Fowler Lodge) that was called "Coco Beach"...well, it was FULL of people every weekend and as a result, TONS of trash left behind to be picked up by someone every monday morning..well, the PRVA started charging $2.00 bucks a CAR LOAD, yes, a whopping $2.00 bucks...and the rest is history...no more people...no more trash.. I guess $2.00 bucks was asking to much to pay some one to pick up the trash they left behind.. only in Amerika!

Anonymous said...

Today, I noticed several "newer" model PRVW trucks, about SEVEN TRUCKS, parked off Rice road near the Misssissippi Craft center.
Seems they have plenty of money for equipment .
Also, during the summer months, PRVW cuts the grass
around the harbor area way too often, it is ridiculous
the amount of wasted labor , equipment, and gas.
They cut grass, when it does not need cutting!

Anonymous said...

Dear Jackson metro people and JJ-
Welllllllcome to our world re: the prv, its director, and its board.
No accountability and no real need of existence (except in prv's collective mind)

Anonymous said...

Thanks 7:04.
I had forgotten all about the "Coco Beach" days.
Yep, that was a plan that worked. Eight quarters per carload, and ..." poof " !
... magically no more empty Schlitz Malt Liquor cans . nasty used condoms , ect .

Shadowfax said...

I saw all those trucks off to the side of the road between the Craft Center and Far-STA-Shun. Then I saw six guys leaning over the bridge between Rice and Shuckers. Maybe they were on a field trip.

Anonymous said...

Shadow- that's generally how they operate. 1 to do the work and 8 to watch.
It's almost like they want the state house to eliminate them.



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