Council postpones FFF item, statement released

City Council postponed an item intended to smooth negotiations between the organizers of Fun Fun Fun Fest and the city’s Parks and Recreation Department on Thursday. Transmission General Manager Bobby Garza released a statement to the press in which he stressed the contributions Transmission and the festival have made to the city over the years and explained that festival organizers have no intention of displacing people who use the dog park. Garza’s statement reads, in part: “For the past ten years, the only thing we’ve asked for is the ability to successfully produce our event. And we are now hoping our city leaders and professional staff will work with us to find a solution that will allow us to remain in the park for us and our fans. … We are proud representatives of the Austin music culture to the rest of the world. We are a tremendous source of tourism dollars, tax revenue, and new jobs every year. We pay for our impact on the park. We don’t ask for fee waivers, and we are the only festival that agreed to have real-time mobile sound level monitoring for the duration of our entire festival. We pay our way – nearly $100,000 paid directly to the City’s general fund last year alone. … Given recent developments on Red River and the alarming information collected and reported through the Austin Music Census, this is a real opportunity for this council to show its true support of live music in Austin – and that it is willing to stand up for Austin’s brand as the ‘Live Music Capital of the World.'”