Politics & Government

Wyandotte Officials Pull the Plug on Annual Fireworks

City Council members voted unanimously Monday to cancel the fireworks for the foreseeable future.

Wyandotte's annual is a thing of the past.

City Council members voted unanimously Monday night to cancel the event due to the rising cost of putting it on.

has cost the city's Special Events Fund an average of $17,750 annually over the past three years, officials said.

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Council members didn't discuss the matter at Monday's meeting, opting instead to merely vote on the issue.

After the meeting, Councilwoman Sheri Sutherby-Fricke said it all comes down to dollars and cents.

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"The money's just not there," she said. “If you’re looking at saving a job or cutting something else, you’re going to save a job first."

came from City Administrator Todd Drysdale, Police Chief Daniel Grant, Fire Chief Michael MacDonald and Interim Superintendent of Recreation Timothy Beaker.

“The significant number of attendees makes the event difficult to control,” they wrote in their letter to city officials. “This has become more difficult due to the reduction in workforce that has occurred in the past 15 years and the cancellation of other local fireworks displays, which has made our event larger in attendance.”

(To read the full letter, click on the PDF icon above.)

In the late 1990s, Drysdale said, the night of fireworks cost the city about $7,000. Last year, he said, the bill rose to about $23,000.

The money to pay for the event doesn't come out of the city’s general fund, which is the account city leaders typically focus on when balancing a budget. However, the costs are still coming out of a separate fund and those dollars could be better spent, Drysdale said.

All of the revenue the city receives from the Wyandotte Street Art Fair is earmarked to cover the expenses associated with other city-run special events, including the fireworks. The art fair raises about $40,000 in profit each year for the city, Drysdale said.

Last year, $18,000 of that had to be pulled out to cover the costs of the fireworks. The other $5,000 was paid for by BASF, which sponsored the event.

"The money just isn't there," Drysdale said. "We can't continue to use nearly half of the art fair proceeds to fund the fireworks."

While volunteers are stationed at the fireworks to collect donations from spectators to help offset the cost of the show, the amount collected has dwindled over the years. About $5,000 was raised this year, Drysdale said, but that money also is split with various nonprofit organizations.

"It's a shame really that the costs have gotten away from us," Drysdale said. "From a financial standpoint, it's become cost prohibitive."

Sutherby-Fricke said Monday's vote snuffs out the fireworks for the foreseeable future, but she's not ruling out the possibility of the show being reinstated–someday.

“I don’t think anything is forever,” she said. “I am sure we will visit it again in the future. At this time, though, it’s a cost we need to omit.”

When the vote was taken Monday night, Wyandotte Patch broke the news via Facebook.

Since that time, people have posted on both sides of the issue.

Adri Enne writes: "I'm alright with this. It seems like the past few years, the public safety aspect of it has gotten out of hand. A lot of people in Wyandotte have stopped going due to the fights that break out every year. We are spending more on the police for the event than the event itself. Another city can get trashed that night. I'm with the council on this one."

Nathan Gambino, a former employee, agrees.

"A needed cut," he wrote. "The fireworks can be reinstated when the money is there."

Denise Green disagrees, saying city officials didn't do enough due diligence before deciding the ax the show.

"I'm just sorry that council and the mayor are not willing to look at some creative funding ideas for the fireworks," she wrote. "An option to have a donation on our utility bills or a collection box downtown. Other communities, like Lake Orion, have a box available at every event with a thermometer that shows collection progress. My husband suggested a 'Chuck-a-buck' box during Third Fridays, the art fair, etc. With the holidays coming and lots of shoppers downtown, the city might collect funds quicker than they think!"

Dale Ave-Lallemant, who , said the timing is suspect considering voters last week.

"After we vote for their millage, they cancel the fireworks," he wrote. "If they would have done it before the vote, it may have been closer. This pretty much seals it for me. Only one way to make changes–run for office. Look for my name on the ballet next election. You heard it here first."


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