Oviedo mayor floats idea of cutting events amid budget concerns

All new at 5, the mayor of Oviedo says tax dollars should not be used to pay for festivals that center around alcohol. It comes as the city is looking to trim its budget ahead of a proposed constitutional amendment, number three on your ballot this November, that could impact local property tax revenue. Fox 35's Larissa Leone explains what the mayor wants to do. During last night's city council meeting, Mayor Megan Sladek asked members to reassess which events get city funding, specifically booze centered festivals like Oktoberfest or Bark and Brew i think it it uh might be an appropriate time for us to have a discussion item on revisiting or maybe work session or something revisit what what a signature event is and how we operate but other council members quickly push back against scrapping city supported events if you're looking looking for discussion on how we can get rid of our staff if i read you right no no run get rid of some of our events because we had a group step up to the plate and add to the events we have. I'm just not on board with that. Despite the council refusing to put the topic on a future agenda, Mayor Sladek is standing her ground. I would rather not the government be organizing events that have drinking as a central focus. The mayor points to the self-funded Viva Oviedo Festival as a better model for municipal spending. She says self-funded events cater to all ages without putting city-run drink sales and direct competition with local bars and restaurants. So all of the businesses that do happen to serve adult beverages that are nearby, it encouraged people to frequent those businesses.