In the wake of the City Council vote to terminate the Hollister
Independence Rally Committee’s contract to organize Hollister’s
annual biker rally, there is still hope that the city’s signature
event will continue next year.
Hollister – In the wake of the City Council vote to terminate the Hollister Independence Rally Committee’s contract to organize Hollister’s annual biker rally, there is still hope that the city’s signature event will continue next year.
“I think we’ll need to take a look at any number of options about how the event can proceed,” City Manager Clint Quilter. But, he cautioned, with only seven months to organize an event for 2006,
On Monday, after weeks of discussion and study, the council voted 3-1 to terminate HIRC’s contract with the city, saying that they couldn’t condone spending at least $300,000 from the city’s general fund each year for a single event. This year the city was stuck with a $360,000 bill for public safety costs, which HIRC won’t be able to reimburse.
Though they canceled HIRC’s contract, council members did say they were open to looking at alternatives, such as a venue change and a new organizer, for an event next year. One possibility is having a for-profit group organize the rally.
Quilter said the city might discuss the possibility of a new contract with HIRC, which has organized the event for nearly a decade. Loyd said HIRC is considering that.
“As a board, we’ll need to decide if we want to put another proposal together,” he said, adding that HIRC had already begun organizing next year’s rally before the council terminated the contract.
