Mobile’s Fourth of July fireworks will light up the sky again this year with the backing of city taxpayers, though the arrangement may look different in years to come. At its meeting on Wednesday, June 25, 2014, the Mobile City Council voted 6-1 to approve an $18,500 contract for the annual display.
The agreement, with S. Vitale Pyrotechnic Industries Inc., matched the amount the city spent on the previous year’s show. As in years past, the money came from the City Hall Overhead account, a general pool used to support the display and other citywide functions.
A push toward private support
City officials made clear that the current funding model may not last. Chief of Staff Colby Cooper told the council that Events Mobile, the nonprofit that raises money for several citywide celebrations including the MoonPie Over Mobile drop on New Year’s Eve, would be approached about helping to underwrite future fireworks shows.
Cooper noted that the city itself cannot solicit private donations, but a nonprofit could. “The mayor would like to approach Events Mobile going forward,” he said, suggesting the organization could eventually own both the MoonPie drop and the July fireworks and package them together as a cost-saving measure. “It’s a city-run event. The mayor’s intent is to ask Events Mobile to run it in the future so it’s not a city event.”
A lone dissenting voice
Councilwoman Bess Rich cast the only vote against the expenditure. She argued that private donors should be tapped to pay for the celebration and suggested that individual council members might use their discretionary funds to cover the cost. Rich said her position was consistent with how she had voted on similar requests in prior years.
“I’m all about being patriotic, and I know we need to have police and paramedic there,” Rich said. “Fireworks are wonderful. I just have to weigh the priorities.” She added that with limited resources, she preferred to see public money directed toward policing, firefighting and sanitation.
Council members defend the tradition
Other members defended the city’s role in marking Independence Day. Councilman Joel Daves said it was responsible for Mobile to fund a celebration of the nation’s founding and that exceptions should be made for such an occasion.
“It’s the anniversary of the independence of our country,” Daves said. “Men and women have fought and died since 1776. I’d be totally opposed to taking this out of the budget.” He said he would support having a third party pay for the show, but that if no sponsor could be found, the responsibility should fall to the city. “If we can’t find a way to honor our nation, then we should be out of business.”
Councilman Fred Richardson pointed out that neighboring communities, including Prichard, Saraland, Citronelle and cities across Baldwin County, would all mark the holiday with fireworks. “And we are not going to light a firecracker?” he asked. Councilman C.J. Small added that many children in his district cannot afford other entertainment or travel to watch shows elsewhere. “To provide entertainment for our citizens is something we should provide,” he said, noting that some children in his district had never crossed Mobile Bay.
How other cities pay for the show
Elsewhere along the coast, communities lean more heavily on private and nonprofit support. In Pensacola, a group of service clubs pays for the display while the city covers police and public works overtime. In Biloxi, business owners form a committee to raise money for the show, and the previous year the city contributed $8,000 toward advertising and promotion.
Mobile’s fireworks cost, meanwhile, has fallen considerably over time. At one point the contract cost taxpayers close to $50,000, far above the $18,500 the council approved for this year’s celebration.