FULLERTON : Council Rejects 2 Cost-Cutting Moves

The City Council this week rejected two cost-cutting proposals that would have canceled the annual Founder’s Day Parade and imposed an admission charge for the city’s annual Fourth of July fireworks celebration.

The proposals were among several measures being considered to cut the $800,000 budget gap. The council on Tuesday voted unanimously to keep the annual May parade down Harbor Boulevard and voted 4-1 to reject an admission fee of $3 for adults and $2 for children and seniors to the July fireworks show.

“Times are tight, but the total dollars (that would have been) saved was pretty small,” said Councilman Richard C. Ackerman. “The parade has been going on for some time. I think it would be bad for the morale of the city and community to eliminate it.”

The parade, held annually on the Saturday before Mother’s Day, cost the city $15,430 last year, according to city officials. The fireworks show, which attracted an estimated crowd of 17,000, cost the city $38,000 when it made its debut last year.

“A lot of nonprofit groups use those events for fund-raising activities, and the community deserves these things because of the taxes they pay,” Ackerman said.