Antioch Could Spend $110k on July 4 Celebration

On Tuesday, the Antioch City Council is being asked to approve $110,000 in spending for its July 4 celebration.

This comes after the Celebrate Antioch Foundation opted to take pause from the event after citizens came forward a decade ago to bring the event back—it was all volunteer based who raised between $65-75k per year raised funds each year for the celebration.

In their Jan 18 letter, they highlight the city has not recognized their efforts and had reached out to another vendor to take over the event.

This has only been possible because of a great working relationship with the City of Antioch and the support of the City Council. Unfortunately, that relationship has changed, and it has become clear to our foundation that the mayor and city would like to go in a different direction.  We have come to this conclusion because of the city’s actions toward our organization. Last year’s Juneteenth debacle, the lack of acknowledgement for our work on the Sesquicentennial and your most recent efforts to reach out to another organization, to organize and facilitate Antioch’s 4^th of July festivities have spoken for you. For the City of Antioch to proceed in this manner, without the respect of a conversation with our foundation, has been very disappointing. (full letter)

Joy Motts, president of the foundation, said there had been no communication from the Mayor or City Manager.

“The mayor has no idea how difficult it is to put on this event and coordinate a parade, fireworks show, work with community partners, plus security along with everything else that has to be taken care of,” explained Motts. “It’s sad for us, the 4^th of July is why we all came together. A group came together to bring it back and everyone thought we were crazy and have done it ever since the past 10-years.”

According to Tuesdays agenda, here is the costs as proposed by city staff:

Item Description Proposed Cost

• Fireworks – $35,000
• Barge to launch Fireworks – $10,000
• Security – $15,000
• Entertainment – $15,000
• Sound System – $10,000
• Kids Zone (Rides and Bounce Houses) – $10,000
• Electric Cart Rental – $2,500
• Marketing – $2,500
• Misc (including but not limited to) – $10,000
  • Decorations
  • Permit Fees
  • Giveaways
  • Chair/ Canopy Rental
  • Other logistical supplies
• Total $110,000

Staff is also proposing to launch a sponsorship program for City events that aims to defray the costs. However, the amount of funding that can be generated from such a program is not known at this time.

APPROVAL OF AWARDS FOR THE 2022-2023 CIVIC ENHANCEMENT GRANT PROGRAM

In a separate agenda item, the City Council will look to approve its Civic Enhancement Grants. The General Fund budget allocation for the Civic Enhancement Grant Program is $50,000 for Fiscal Year 2022-23. The total amount requested is $49,715.

The Grant application period opened in December 2022 and applications were due January 17, 2023. The Parks and Recreation Commission appointed an Ad-Hoc Committee to complete the initial review of applications and provide a funding recommendation to the Commission. The Committee met on January 26, 2023 to review applications and determine their recommendation.

The City received nine applications for grant funding to support projects and/or programs in 2023. The City Council authorized $50,000 in FY2022-23 to fund the civic enhancement grant program. The total amount of funding requested is $49,715.

Here is a look at the grants:

• Be Exceptional – $10,000 – To expand services in the community by leasing their own facility
• Cancer Support Community – $2,500 – To help low-income communities of color by providing free services
• Delta Veterans Group – $6,500 – Veterans Memorial Banner Program
• Loaves and Fishes of Contra Costa – $5,000 – To provide food for families, seniors,
  unhoused residents, and veterans.
• Love Never Fails – $6,000 – To provide BIPOC Women opportunities in the IT Field
• The Drama Factory – $2,880 – To make theater and stagecraft accessible to the community by supporting production fees/ costs
• Antioch Historical Society – $8.835 – To redesign and update signage at the Antioch Historical Museum
• Contra Costa Family Justice Alliance – $5,000 – To provide resources and education to over 200 families and children
• Antioch Rotary Club – $3,000 – For “Kings Conference” for underserved male students

At the Regular Meeting of February 16, 2023, the Parks and Recreation Commission voted to recommend that all applications be funded in full. Following the approval of grant awards, staff will proceed with executing grant agreements and disbursement of grant funding.

Antioch City Council Meeting

• Date: Tuesday, February 28, 2023
  
• Time: 7:00 P.M. – Regular Meeting
  
• Place: Council Chambers 200 ‘H’ Street Antioch, CA 94509
• Full Agenda –  click here