Christkindlmarket Naperville made a big ask at the City Council SECA meeting.
With $1.1 million to distribute, council sat down to review the SECA Commission’s recommendations for allocation.
During the workshop, Christkindlmarket Naperville requested a $15,000 increase to their funding recommendation.
“It was recommended by the police commander to increase the presence of police at our event even more than was initially quoted, raising our cost from $45,841, which is currently granted, to an estimated $61,000 to have four officers present at all times,” said Kate Bleeker, manager of Christkindlmarket.
Council would need to decrease another applicant’s funding in order to meet this request.
City Council also discussed cutting off SECA funding for fundraisers going forward.
“I would like to encourage the SECA board to view those with more scrutiny,” said Councilman Kevin Gallaher. “Because I think we don’t want to encourage funding of fundraisers.”
While most fundraisers will still be awarded SECA funds this year, if they can’t be classified as a special event or cultural amenity, they may not be able to rely on it in future years.
On April 5, City Council will vote on the final allocation.
Naperville News 17’s Blane Erwin reports.
