Rodeo to increase number of sponsors, events and contestants
The Gallup City Council discussed the promotion contract and budget for the sixth annual Best of the Best Timed Event Rodeo for 2019 at the Nov. 27 regular meeting.
The 2018 Best of the Best event was held at Red Rock Park June 27-30 and offered seven timed events for the country’s top junior and senior high school rodeo athletes.
Jon DeYoung, assistant city manager, spoke for the contract and budget at the meeting.
The contract for 2019 underwent several changes from the previous year. Specifically, the contract states the City of Gallup must purchase all items for Best of the Best in order to insure proper procurement of items.
In addition, Best of the Best will now comprise 10 events, and will require more rodeo staff as a result. Those events include:
Breakaway Roping
Goat Tying
Barrel Racing
Pole Vending
Calf Roping
Heading
Heeling
Parent Team Roping
Parent Ribbon Roping
Twenty-five RV spots at Red Rock Park will also need to be retained during the event for city use.
The contract states the amount and payment terms of $50,000 for Walt Eddy — one of the key members of the committee to put on the rodeo over the past five years — in three payments, plus gross receipts tax in January, April and July 2019.
DeYoung said all of these contract items are necessary to help Best of the Best grow, and read several accolades from participants from the 2018 event, which praised the variety of events and the community surrounding the event.
Dist. 2 Councilor Allan Landavazo also praised the rodeo during the meeting.
“[Best of the Best] has become a benchmark of local youth events,” Landavazo said. “It is the talk of the town.”
DeYoung said the 2018 event was successful and profitable for the City of Gallup.
The turnout at the event saw a 30 percent increase from the previous year, as Patty Holland, chief financial officer for the City of Gallup, reported during a Sept. 11 City Council meeting on the matter.
The revenue received from the Best of the Best event for 2018 was nearly $330,000, while the expenses tallied to nearly $269,000.
At the Nov. 27 meeting, DeYoung spoke for a budget adjustment for the Best of the Best Rodeo project. The adjustment included revenue of nearly $345,000 and expenditures of nearly $315,000.
This was in addition to a budget transfer of $40,000 out of the Lodger’s Tax to be added into the project. According to the budget comparison attached to the meeting agenda, this amount will be used for promotion and advertising.
DeYoung said there are plans for more sponsors, events and contestants in 2019.
“This event is a credit to those who made it a success,” Landavazo said. “This is good for Gallup.”
The contract was approved with a 4-0-0 vote, and the budget was approved with a 3-0-1 vote.
Other items discussed at meeting:
The bids for construction of National Cemetery Drive for access to the State Veterans Cemetery were opened in October. TLC Plumbing & Utility of Albuquerque, NM was the apparent responsive low bidder with a bid of more than $315,000. Public Works Director Stanley Henderson said the project is aiming for completion by Memorial Day 2019. The item was approved with a 4-0-0 vote.
The city is moving forward with the design for the reconstruction of Taxiway “A” at the Municipal Airport, which is in poor shape and a hazard to propellor aircrafts. Staff has a design proposal from Armstrong Consultants of Albuquerque for more than $400,000 including NMGRT. Henderson said construction can be done in 2020, and that the airport will not be closed during the project. The item was approved with a 4-0-0 vote.
The city approved revenue and expenditures in the amount of nearly $30,000 for the Nutrition Service Incentive Program 2019 contract with a 4-0-0 vote. NSIP provides money for homegrown raw food items for congregate and home delivered meals.
The city approved the annual write-off of bad utility debts in the amount of nearly $65,000 with a 4-0-0 vote.
The utility easement to allow the city to maintain the high voltage line and transformer that supplies electricity to a new medical facility on Nizhoni Boulevard was approved with a 4-0-0 vote.
By Cody Begaye
Sun Correspondent
