Council approves quarterly sponsorships; Shakespeare grant draws two abstentions

The Centennial City Council approved three monetary sponsorship requests during its July 8 meeting as part of the quarterly review of sponsorship funding.

Eric Eddy, assistant city manager, was available to answer council questions about the quarterly sponsorship budget. Council was reminded the city’s annual allocation for monetary sponsorships is $60,000; staff reported $39,400 remained available at the time of the meeting.

The nut graf: council approved $3,000 to Doctors Care for a back-to-school fair and a trunk-or-treat flu clinic; approved $10,000 to Shakespeare in the Wild for a production of Romeo and Juliet with Mayor Pico and Council member Mauer abstaining; and approved $2,000 to South Suburban Parks and Recreation District for a Trick-or-Treat Street event.

Motion language and votes recorded in the minutes: Council member Karnes moved approval of the Doctors Care request for $3,000 and the motion carried 9–0. Council member Karnes moved approval of the Shakespeare in the Wild request for $10,000; Council member Alston seconded and the record shows the motion passed with seven ayes and two abstentions (Mayor Pico and Council member Mauer). Finally, Council member Tharpe moved approval of South Suburban’s $2,000 request; the record shows the motion carried unanimously.

Council members asked brief procedural questions about frequency of quarterly reports and remaining budget. Eddy confirmed sponsorship requests come to council at minimum quarterly and that the amounts approved that night were within the remaining allotment.