The Monrovia City Council postponed a vote Tuesday on a proposal to forgive the debts of the company that operates the Friday Family Festival and will reconsider the plan at a later date.
City Manager Laurie Lile had previously recommended that the council forgive for Family Festival Productions, Inc., the company that puts on Monrovia's weekly street fair. The company asked the city to forgive the past-due amounts and waive future fees because of financial hardship.
On Tuesday, Lile suggested that the council instead table the issue to so that the proposal could be further studied. The city had received "a number of comments" and questions from community members about the plan, Lile said.
"In light of the amount of questions that we received and some of the comments and questions that the council has posed to me as well, staff is going to suggest that we not take action on this item this evening," Lile said. "Let us come back and get some info and try to provide some additional clarity for council in looking at this."
The proposal drew the ire of a local attorney who wrote the council a letter earlier this week asking why Family Festival Productions should receive a "bailout" because it had fallen upon hard times.
"Surely, other local and longstanding businesses who are having a tough time surviving in a difficult economy (with all the same financial problems that Family Festival operator cites) would like to get in line for this bailout?," attorney Lynne Palmer wrote.
Mayor Mary Ann Lutz said the city will reconsider the proposal in February or March.
