The Garden City Board of Trustees will have many tough decisions to make as it begins its public budget work sessions in a few weeks. Residents who attended the first regular Board meeting of the year on January 14th saw a taste of what’s to come as trustees grappled with whether or not to charge a fee to organizations wishing to hold special events in the Village.

A debate ensued after Trustee Nicholas Episcopia removed a permit request by the Garden City Teachers’ Association to hold a 5K Run/Walk and 1.5 mile Fun Run/Walk for the Garden City For a Cure organization from the agenda. He said the GCTA should be asked to pay a portion of the $5,700 to $5,800 it will cost the Village when the event is held. The total includes $5,000 for police overtime, which is necessary in part to ensure spectators and participants are well protected from vehicular traffic at closed intersections. The remainder is for Dept. of Public Works personnel, who clean up after the event.

The Board ultimately decided to approve the GCTA permit request and not charge a fee this year, but put them and other organizations on notice that a fee or contribution will likely be requested in the future. The vote was 7 to 1; Trustee Episcopia was the only one to vote against the item.

“I think we’re going to have to try to change somewhat the culture of the way we look at certain things,” he said.

Episcopia supported his opinion by citing the economy, which has worsened considerably over the past several years. “All the decisions that have to be made I think have to be made in light of the economic situation we’re in....We’re in a different world. We just have to face that world and people who want to do things in our Village I think are going to have to face that with us.”

This is the first year the GCTA is seeking to hold this event so they are uncertain of the level of participation. According to Village Administrator Robert L. Schoelle, Jr., in a letter to the Village dated October 5, organizers asked for a Board decision as soon as possible so they could effectively promote the race.

Realizing that the group’s permit request would not be easily granted given the Village’s serious budget woes, Schoelle said he initially encouraged the group to find a different venue. They acted on his suggestion, and investigated holding the event at Eisenhower Park. Organizers ultimately decided to try to secure a permit to hold it in the Village. He believes they would be amenable to making a contribution to the Village to offset the cost.

Episcopia has raised the issue of asking organizations for contributions in the past. In October, he and Mayor Robert J. Rothschild wanted a fee charged to the Irish American Society of Nassau Suffolk & Queens, Inc. to hold its annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade on March 7, but the other Board members did not agree and the item did not have enough votes to pass.

Episcopia believes the organizers of the annual Turkey Trot should also help offset the cost to the Village. He said the Turkey Trot earned $47,000 last year and cost the Village more than $6,000. The Turkey Trot Committee paid the Village $1,600 for use of the St. Paul’s Field House for the event.

The race, which organizers claim is the largest road race held on Long Island on Thanksgiving Day, is a 32-year community tradition. Net race proceeds are donated to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and the Muscular Dystrophy Association. A canned food drive was also included this past year, which resulted in hundreds of pounds of food being donated to Island Harvest. In addition, several hundred race T-shirts were donated to the Wounded Warrior Project.

Trustee John Mauk, who serves as chairman of the Board’s finance committee, took a more neutral stance, saying the issue of charging organizations needs to be further explored. “We are in a very difficult situation as we all know in the Village and I think we need to be very cautious about entering into agreements with anybody,” he said.

The issue is somewhat complicated by the fact that events can oftentimes be placed in one of two categories, according to Deputy Mayor Donald Brudie. The first group includes parades that do not seek to generate funds, such as the Memorial Day Parade and the Little League Parade. The second category includes events run by organizations seeking to raise money for charities.

Trustee Andrew Cavanaugh said it may be difficult to determine in which category an organization belongs. “What do you impose a fee on, and what do you don’t? Where do you draw the line? At the Memorial Day Fair? At the SEPTA Fair in June? Each one has characteristics that distinguish it from all the others.”

Cavanaugh said it is a quality of life issue, and that charging for what essentially amounts to police protection and sanitation services “puts a damper on the enthusiasm and just the feeling of what the Village does with, and for, its residents and visitors.”

“I think the process of charging people for the benefit of undertaking something that is charitable, civic or societal or neighborly undertakings, is just the wrong way for us to go,” he said. Cavanaugh added that even if it means adding a total of $75,000 a year to Village coffers, “that really isn’t very much of an investment for this Village to make in the overall spirit of the Village’s life and I would be opposed to seeking any type of contribution in this or a similar matter.”

Trustee John Watras was also against charging a fee, believing it “punished” organizations looking to generate attention and/or funds for charities. “I know we have a really tight budget and I know we have some really tough decisions this year, but no, I don’t agree,” he said.

Mayor Rothschild voted to not impose a fee this year and called upon fellow trustees to heed his advice as they prepare to begin budget work sessions. “It is imperative upon us to be better communicators of where we’re going with the budget and what we will be expecting from people.”