An ad hoc committee of the city commission will review whether the National Cherry Festival (NCF) can continue to operate on the Fourth of July and what type of fees the event should pay to the city.

While NCF already has dates approved for 2015 and 2016, commissioners last night said they want to take a closer look at the festival's overlap with Independence Day in 2017 and beyond. Mayor Michael Estes says he doesn't “have any problem with the Fourth of July being included in the festival dates” and would rather see the event reduce its overall length of occupancy in the Open Space, but other commissioners wanted to study the pros and cons of moving the festival later in July. The ad hoc committee – whose members will be selected at an upcoming commission meeting – will also work to establish a fee structure for the event to compensate the city for services after NCF Executive Director Trevor Tkach agreed to eliminate a $45,000 fee cap for city costs.

City Manager Jered Ottenwess will also work with NCF officials on additional proposed tweaks to the event and bring back a revised contractual agreement to commissioners to review. Those changes include enhanced waste management, increased handicap parking, reduced set-up and tear-down length, establishment of clear zones around non-motorized pathways and reduction of the festival's footprint on city parks pre and post-event.