In what was termed a “unique” situation, the Brighton City Council has approved the release of over $14,000 in funds to “A Taste of Brighton”, an annual event designed to showcase all that downtown Brighton has to offer in the way of food, shops and family entertainment.

Council at its meeting last Thursday voted to release $12,500 in sponsorship funds for this year’s event and $1,648 in leftover funds from last year. Normally, such items would not need to come to council for approval. However, City Manager Nate Geinzer tells WHMI that since A Taste of Brighton is now a separate entity as a non-profit organization, rather than a volunteer group under the city’s umbrella as in the past, he felt it required a council vote on the fund transfers from the city.

There were five criteria A Taste of Brighton had to meet for the city to approve the transfer of funds. These included tax certification, confirmation of its 501(c)(3)status as a non-profit, a certificate of insurance, receipt of a voided check from its bank account, and the A Taste of Brighton Board being the filer for this year’s civic event. Geinzer says the organization met all of those stipulations.

This year A Taste of Brighton will take place on July 13th and 14th. Local restaurants and other vendors will offer samples of their cuisine on Main Street, and downtown shops will feature specials on items in their stores. There also will be a special kids zone for children to take part in various organized activities, and live music will be on the menu in the late afternoon and evening. (TT)