Bannock County 4th of July activities canceled
POCATELLO, Idaho (KIFI/KIDK) - Bannock County Commissioners have decided to cancel county-sponsored 4th of July events this year.
Commissioners said there were several reasons for the decision. They said the financial cost of the events would have been beyond available budgets.
The event is usually paid for by sponsors so there is not money in the budget set aside for the festivities.
The commissioners said they didn't want to pull from the tax payers' dollars to "shoot $60,000 off into the sky" after asking county departments to prepare for budget cuts.
Following the Governor’s COVID-19 health guidelines, it would have been difficult to provide safe conditions.
And, given that Idaho Falls and other communities have canceled activities already, Bannock County worried that crowds could surpass 100,000 people and exceed the county’s ability to safely control activities.
"It could be a nightmare with the amount of people attending," Commissioner Steve Brown said.
Instead, commissioners said they would concentrate on making a 2021 program even better.
You can watch a livestream of the press conference below.
