Carson doles out $92,000 for events

Thirteen special events that draw crowds into Carson City each year received a boost Thursday from the Redevelopment Authority, but not everyone got as much as they requested.

The authority had an estimated $100,000 available for special events in fiscal year 2012-13. It received $118,275 in requests and awarded $92,000.

The Redevelopment Authority Citizens Committee had made recommendations, and authority members followed all except for its $8,000 recommended allotment for the Carson City Rendezvous.

The annual event is held in Mills Park, lasts several days and celebrates the history of Carson City. It includes a mountain man encampment, Native American dancers, Civil War camp, dozens of events and vendors, performers and a food court.

NV Show LLC had requested $15,000 to help with its June 2012 and 2013 events.

The authority decided instead to fund this year's event differently. It suggested allocating $8,000 from the city's current fund balance, which is about $30,000, said Carson City Finance Director Nick Providenti.

The agency will wait until the city budget is approved by the Board of Supervisors before officially allocating the money.

NV Shows promoter Rich Crombie said the Rendezvous is going on 29 years, and called it a "gem" for the city.

"We have plans for it to grow," Crombie said, including a bigger Civil War camp.

Authority member Molly Walt, who also sits on the board of the Carson City Convention & Visitors Bureau, wanted to know how much money was going into the Rendezvous from the CVB. Crombie said NV Shows handles all the marketing costs, and Joy Evans, the CVB's events manager, said the CVB asked Crombie to be the promoter, but reservations go through the CVB.

"It is under the umbrella of us. People send their reservations to me, and I help them find lodging," Evans said, adding that 32 of the 40 registrants so far are from out of the area.

"Money does not come out of the CCCVB budget," she said.

Redevelopment Authority Chairwoman Shelly Aldean raised concerns that the CVB wasn't more involved.

"It feels like the CVB is unloading this onto Redevelopment," she said. "I'm not quite sure why it's falling off their radar. I don't think it's appropriate that we should do all the heavy lifting."

Aldean reminded those attending Thursday's meeting that the focus of the Redevelopment Authority had shifted. New policies and procedures were established in 2011 that directed the authority to put more emphasis on infrastructure in redevelopment districts.

In approving special-event funding, seven factors are weighed, such as the number of participants the event draws, the longevity of the event in Carson City and its importance to the community.