There are certain types of businesses which, for these events, can enhance the business atmosphere for the regular year-around merchants who have invested their families fortunes and futures in locating in our downtown.

There are others which can sometimes (too frequently actually) significantly decrease the income for the traditional merchants during the days of the event. But these are discussions for another time.

But do these 'itinerant' street mercfhants pay the appropriate such fees to the city or any portion of the approximately 27 mils special school tax assessments each of the traditional 'storefront' businesses pays thru their yearly rental costs?

Who pays the increased refuse, water/sewer, electric, police & fire, DPW, etc. expenses generated by these events?

I was recently privy to a conversation wherein the promotor of one such event was claiming a gross income of well over $100,000 from his event with a total expenditure of less than $25,000.

How much of the $75,000 net profit from his 'close the streets' event was forwarded to the city or local schools?