The Rockdale City Council voted, 4-2, to give the Rockdale Downtown Association $22,000 to help pay for the group’s Rockdale Fall Music Festival in October.
Kara Clore, the group’s president, had initially asked for $28,000 for festival expenses including out-of-area advertising and to be able to afford a band with an out-of-county following to put some “heads in beds.”
But she told council members she would be happy with whatever the council decided it could give from its hotel-motel tax (HOT) fund.
“We have gotten extremely positive feedback,” she said, noting that local bands performed the first year of the fest in 2019.
“The bands donated their time. They were local so they only drew locally,” she said, “We have to be able to hire a band with a following outside of Rockdale.”
HOT revenue can be spent on multiple things that encourage tourism to an area such as advertising and promotional programs for the arts.
The festival is set for Oct. 2 and the plan is to have a later start and end date for the musical entertainment to encourage overnight stays.
The council, in a 6-0 vote, gave $10,000 to the Rockdale Chamber of Commerce to help cover the expense of keeping the visitor center open for half a day for the Farmers’ Market that is held each Saturday until October.
“I think the Farmers’ Market is a great asset to the city,” Councilman Lin Perry said before the vote.
The council voted to allow City Manager Barbara Holly to seek bids for a new solid waste service for the city.
The contract with Waste Connection is expiring, so the city has to seek another contract with the service period beginning Jan. 1, 2022.
In unanimous votes, council members began annexation procedures for Texas Street and theeasements, and the annexation of the Rockdale Municipal Development District’s Industrial Park out on Ackerman into the city.
Councilman Perry was elected mayor pro tem.
City Secretary Terry Blanchard gave the oath of office to the two newest councilmen, Brett Boren and Scott Starnes.
Mayor John King presented service appreciation awards to Richard Coppedge, Jason Barcak and to Ward Roddam, who retired as the volunteer fire chief.
Barcak and Coppedge were honored for their service on the council and Ward for his many years in the Rockdale Volunteer Fire Department as chief.
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