City Fees Waived for 4th of July Parade

Although facing a budget shortfall, the City Council agreed Monday not to charge organizers of the Fourth of July Parade the expected $33,593 cost of police and other city services for the event.

Mayor Pro Tem Linda Moulton-Patterson said the event, billed as the largest Fourth of July parade west of the Mississippi River, is too important to Huntington Beach to jeopardize.

“We all believe in it, and we think it’s wonderful, and we want to support it,” Moulton-Patterson said.

The cost of the parade became an issue after City Administrator Michael T. Uberuaga warned council members that the city’s Police and Public Works departments couldn’t afford to absorb the expenses.

“Funding does not exist within current budgets to allow the two departments involved to provide the requested service,” Uberuaga said.

But Uberuaga acknowledged that it is too late in the year for the nonprofit Fourth of July Executive Board to try to raise an additional $33,593. So he recommended that the money be taken from the city’s surplus fund from previous years.

The council, at a study session Monday afternoon, informally agreed with the recommendation. The council will formally vote on the issue at its next regular meeting.

The council also supported city Community Service Director Ron Hagan’s recommendation that the Fourth of July Executive Board be loaned another $40,000 in surplus funds to buy air time from Los Angeles television station KCOP Channel 13 for live parade coverage.

Deborah Cope, president of the executive board, told the council that televising the event will attract more sponsors, more entertainment and more celebrities.

Councilman Ralph Bauer agreed that televising the parade could be important to the city because the audience could include business owners who might think about moving industries to the city.

“This will present an unbelievable marketing opportunity,” Bauer said. “It could end up bringing the city a tremendous amount of money.”

Hagan added that a country fair to be held July 2 through 4 at Worthy Park is expected to raise $57,000 for the Fourth of July Parade. He said the executive board can use that money to reimburse the city for its $40,000 loan.

To date, parade costs, not including city services, total $110,000, all of which is raised by the committee.