Village may reduce funding for Taste of Lombard

The financial future of the Taste of Lombard remains uncertain this week as village officials struggle with declining hotel-motel tax revenues that help subsidize the festival as well as other programs and events.

The five-day celebration over July 4 is sponsored by the Lombard Jaycees but receives substantial funding from the village to help cover the costs of fireworks, security, bus service and more.

Last year, the village contributed $110,000 to the Taste, but with hotel tax revenues expected to drop about 25 percent in the coming fiscal year, the level of support is almost certain to fall.

That doesn't necessarily mean the end of the Taste, but it would put added financial pressure on the Jaycees and the fest's other supporters.

Officials from the village and Jaycees discussed the funding crunch Thursday and talks are expected to continue. The village board could make a final decision as early as Jan. 28.

Village Manager Dave Hulseberg said the village expects to receive $1,524,120 in hotel-motel taxes in the fiscal year that begins June 1. That would be a drop of about $517,010 from the current year.

In addition to helping fund the Taste, that money is used to support things such as the Lilac Parade, village newsletter, Cruise Nights, Lombard Historical Museum, landscaping and even several salaries.

With the projected decline in hotel tax revenues, Hulseberg is recommending reductions in all those areas - including total elimination of funding for the Taste.

Village President William Mueller says he hopes cuts to the long-running festival won't be quite that severe, "but we need to scale some of it back."

Mueller said he favors continued support for the July 4 fireworks - at a cost of between $25,000 and $30,000 - but elimination of the transportation and security subsidies. He stressed that each trustee has their own view on how much support to provide and those views could change as talks continue.

He said he views the Taste as a "community block party" that's important to the village. Just as important, he said, the Jaycees use proceeds from the event to support many nonprofit groups in town.

But with sources of village funding drying up, Mueller said, the question becomes "how much can we participate?"

"This is the same sort of discussion every other community is having," Hulseberg said earlier this week. "We're all grappling."

Mueller said he's hopeful the village and Jaycees will find a way to keep the festival viable.

"I don't think there's anyone who wants to eliminate it," he said.