Who Got the Money?

Last Thursday, the Common Council Finance Committee held a special meeting to divvy up $20,000 among eleven groups seeking financial support for events from the City. At the outset, committee chair Rob Bujan (First Ward) explained that the requests totaled $28,219, and the committee would "try to get some money for everyone who asked rather than disqualify anyone." That said, there wasn't a great deal of discussion among the members of the committee present--Bujan, Rich Volo (Fourth Ward), and Eileen Halloran (Fifth Ward)-- of the benefits of an event to the city or if or how the event might attract visitors, even though the $20,000 came this year from the Tourism Board's budget--revenue derived from the lodging tax.

• Friends of Hudson Youth--Oakdale Picnic  Total budget: $1,900; amount requested: $800; amount approved: $800
• Flag Day  Total budget: $45,000; amount requested: $2,500; amount approved: $2,000
• Bindlestiff  Cirkus After School/COARC Cirkus  Total budget: $6,584; amount requested: $1,000; amount approved: $1,000
• Halloween Parade  Total budget: $1,084; amount requested: $1,084; amount approved: $1,084
• Open Studio Hudson 2019  A new event planned for Columbus Day weekend, with $2,850 of the budget going toward creating a website  Total budget: $3,350; amount requested: $3,350; amount approved: $1,675  
• Friends of Oakdale Lake--Salsa in the Sand  Total budget: $985; amount requested: $985; amount approved: $741
• Basilica Hudson--Triptych  Total budget: $4,900; amount requested: $1,000; amount approved: $500
• Operation Unite--Black Arts Festival  Total budget: $8,375; amount requested: $3,500; amount approved: $3,000
• The Hudson Eye A new ten-day (August 23 through September 2) "public program and urban showcase" featuring "dance, music, performance, film, visual art, dining out, LGBTQ culture, and nightlife"  Total budget: $100,000; amount requested: $5,000; amount approved: $3,000
• Bangladeshi Cultural Fair  Total budget: $7,350; amount requested: $4,000; amount approved: $1,700
• Hudson Hall--Winter Walk  Total budget: $110,000; amount requested: $5,000; amount approved: $4,500

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