Fair U City Cancelled After Dispute With City Over $27,000 Bill

UNIVERSITY CITY, MO — Fair U City, a community carnival originally scheduled for the weekend of June 7 to 9 in Heman Park, has been cancelled after a dispute between the city and the volunteers organizing it. The U City Jazz Fest, typically part of the fair, was also cancelled but has since been rebranded the Old Orchard Jazz Fest and will be held June 8 in Webster Groves.

According to a press release from the University City Community Foundation, city officials asked the non-profit to pony up more than $27,000 for the use of the park and other city services. These costs had previously been regarded as in-kind donations to the fair, the proceeds of which go to fund community grants and scholarships.

While about $5,500 of the sum demanded by the city was a refundable damage deposit, due up front, according to a draft contract, the rest would have to have been paid before the fair could award any grants or scholarships. Should the fair not make any money, the amount would have been forgiven.

"It is regrettable that the City has opted not to support Fair U City with in-kind services as it has since the fair's inception," said UCCF interim president Linda Collins-Shaw. "What is more regrettable is the City has stonewalled the Fair U City planning committee for months and provided no clear answer regarding their intent despite our working diligently to provide requested information and meet their ever-changing requirements."

According to a letter from Shaw to City Manager Gregory Rose, the $27,000 bill would make the event "untenable" for the non-profit. In addition, Shaw says, city staff informed organizers at the last minute of new procedures for carnival rides and delayed a vote to approve the fair until just weeks before it was to be held.

"In losing Fair U City and the University City Jazz Festival, you are losing a community event that draws thousands of people from University City and beyond," Shaw writes. "You are losing the only event that is designed for the children and youth of our community specifically. We have created an event, organized and staged by volunteers, that has created only goodwill in our community.

"The fair's departure is a great loss for University City."

Rose pushed back against allegations of "stonewalling."

"I believe it is important to be transparent in the use of our limited taxpayer’s funds," the city manager said. "Contracts enable us to establish clear expectations and allow for Council and public scrutiny of the use of funds. Although we tentatively agreed to subsidize part of the fair costs, a contract is still needed for the aforementioned reasons. We regret that the organizers of Fair U City viewed our commitment to our value of transparency as 'stonewalling' however we respect their right to act in a manner that furthers their self interests."

Last year, according to Shaw, the fair funded more than $13,000 in community grants to senior arts and adult literacy programs, diversity scholarships, teacher projects, student employment and other programs.

Shaw seems to indicate that she believes the fair is being treated differently than other non-profit organizations by the city. She says a city commission member even "verbally humiliated" her and another volunteer.

"We look forward to getting the detailed information on how you have and will charge other non-profit organizations that have received in-kind support from the City," she adds near the end of her letter. "We will be interested in seeing how these new measures are applied to other non-profits because, as you know, the City cannot treat organizations differently."

The previous president of the University City Community Foundation, Patricia Washington, has been an outspoken critic of a planned taxpayer-funded development in University City. The group's secretary, Jaclyn Kirouac-Fram, chairs the city's Human Relations Commission, which recently drew the mayor's ire, also in relation to the Olive/170 TIF. And the fair has previously been a lightning rod for criticism from some members of the current city council majority.

This story has been updated with a comment from City Manager Gregory Rose. Patch has also requested emails and other documents related to the planning of Fair U City through a Sunshine request. This story will be updated when we hear back.

Read Shaw's letter in full below:

Correction and clarification: This story previously said University City had asked Fair U City organizers for about $28,000. The sum is actually closer to $27,000. We regret the rounding error. We have also clarified that part of the bill was a refundable damage deposit, due up front, while the rest would have been due before any grants or scholarships could have been awarded.