The city’s signature tradition may be stalled, but a group of
local residents hopes to revive it for next year
– again – and renew its roots on the Fourth of July with
motorcycles lined on San Benito Street.
The city’s signature tradition may be stalled, but a group of local residents hopes to revive it for next year – again – and renew its roots on the Fourth of July with motorcycles lined on San Benito Street.
For about a year, a grassroots group of residents has been plotting out ideas for a return to the annual event that became Hollister’s largest tourist attraction, bringing in estimates of around 100,000 visitors each year for the three-day event that started officially in 1997.
Their concept focuses on capping the law enforcement costs for the biker rally while expanding involvement from area nonprofits and service groups, some of which already have shown interest in the prospect, said Marlin Moss, owner of Moss Signs in Hollister and one of the three locals primarily behind the effort.
One of the others is Roger Grimsley, who organized the Gypsy Tour event last summer at Bolado Park in light of the downtown rally’s cancellation. That event’s replacement on July 3 this year is what’s tabbed the “Gypsy Cruisers Car & Bike Show.”
Escalating law enforcement costs were the primary reason for the downtown event’s demise, twice. City leaders refused to sanction the downtown Hollister Motorcycle Rally after 2008 when the local government coffers lost more than $200,000. A private promoter had run the event for two years after the council’s first cancellation left the city without an organized rally in 2006.
Moss believes the government’s costs can be reduced significantly, but he also pointed out that city officials have failed to grasp how additional tax revenue generated during the event has more than offset any direct losses on the books.
Moss, involved with prior rallies since 1999, said he researched local tax revenue generated historically during the event weekends and he contended Hollister has brought in more than $1.5 million – more than it would have otherwise – since 1999. He noted how there was $8.2 million more in taxable sales in 2004 than there was in 2006, when there was no official rally, though thousands of bikers did visit regardless.
“They’ve never been able to figure that one out,” Moss said.
Still, it likely would be a tough sell to convince the Hollister City Council to again sanction a downtown rally under the premise of taxpayers footing the bill, especially considering the elected panel has canceled the event twice in recent years due to direct costs continually exceeding expenditures. Considering the down economy and a city budget headed toward bankruptcy in the next two years, the route toward reviving the rally would have to take an alternate direction when compared with years past.
That is where two components of the plan come into play. For one, the grassroots group expects to take the matter to voters in a special election – it would cost $80,000 to $100,000 – if members can gain the estimated 2,100 signatures needed. It is unclear when such an election could occur or what specific language would be included in a ballot measure, but Moss did express the desire to push for a cap when it comes to the law enforcement budget at the event.
Moss spoke with Mayor Victor Gomez about the petition idea last year at some point. He said the mayor suggested that he would prefer a measure on a ballot over the council simply ratifying such a petition.
Said Gomez: “I don’t see that being a bad idea. I don’t know the financial cost of putting a measure like that on the ballot.”
Gomez said letting the people decide is “always a good thing.” His reluctance comes with using general-fund tax dollars.
See the full story in the Free Lance on Tuesday.
