An ordinance had to first be repealed to allow the item to come up for vote once again. At a previous meeting Feb. 16, the motion failed to pass after council members disagreed over the location of the festival and whether or not to allocate the funds.

Two of the four festival headliners had already signed contracts when the item was voted down and the $35,000 would cover 80 percent of the total costs of the festival, according to the foundation’s funding application form.

The festival will be held at Ray’s Entertainment, located about 4 miles north of Magnolia off FM 1774 in Waller County.

Council member Todd Kana, who questioned the location of the festival and voted against awarding the money at the previous meeting, said during the Feb. 22 meeting that the city’s “hands are tied” in what to do with the funds.

“It’s no doubt this meets the test of hotel/motel,” Kana said about the festival. “I just wish it was in Magnolia.”

He added that the city would much rather put the money toward the city’s general fund deficit, but that there are clear guidelines on how hotel/motel tax money has to be spent.

“There’s absolutely no other thing we can spend it on,” Kana said.

A handful of people in the community spoke in regard to the allocation issue, including Mike Karm, part owner of Ray’s, hotel/motel tax committee president Barry Tate, Magnolia Ridge developer Aaron Polatek and Magnolia Sonic Drive-In owner Virgil Hurst.

Some argued that holding the festival at Magnolia Ridge again like last year would be a better choice since it was in the city limits, while others cautioned that bad weather would shut down the event and organizers would have to foot the refund bill.

“What we know is, there are several logical reasons to have it (the music festival) at Ray’s,” Tate told the mayor and council. He cited the weather as one of the biggest concerns and the additional costs, which he said could range from $5,000 to $40,000, if the event was moved.

Stage lighting and equipment, along with the venue’s large pavilion, which would keep the festival going in case of bad weather, were also factors.

“We have equipment there, facilities, all things you’d have to pay for anywhere else,” Karm said. “Yes, we’re outside of the county line, I wish we weren’t, but we’re not that far away.”

Council member Jody Sanders said that having the festival at Ray’s would be the best decision for the city.

“I see no problem with having it at Ray’s and next year having it at Unity Park,” he said. “We just don’t have the extra money to pay (in case of bad weather).”

Organizers are expecting between 5,000 and 7,000 people at this year’s event, which is scheduled to feature headliners Ray Price, the Bellamy Brothers, Zona Jones and Cory Morrow.

For more information on the festival, visit www.magnoliamusicfest.org.

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