City council members will wait another month to decide if they will raise fees for large events held downtown.

Council Thursday night tabled the first reading of an amended ordinance that would increase the overtime contributions of event organizers from 25 percent to 50 percent, effective next year.

Butler Mayor Tom Donaldson at the council meeting Tuesday proposed the rate to be 75 percent, but on Thursday he lowered that to 50 percent to help ease the expense on organizers.

“I had second thoughts on it,” Donaldson said. “This will help the events adjust next year.”

Donaldson also changed his proposal so parades would remain at 25 percent reimbursement due to their inability to sell vendor spots along Main Street.

The fees cover the overtime costs for police officers and workers from the city’s streets and parks departments during events that shut down Main Street.

Four events would be impacted: the Jeep Invasion during the annual Bantam Jeep Heritage Festival, Cruise-A-Palooza, the Butler Road Race and the Butler Fall Festival.

Donaldson said the Memorial and Veterans Day parades would be exempt from the fees as they are now.

Last year the overtime costs of those events ranged from about $1,300 to $6,100, with organizers responsible for paying $330 to $1,500 in support.

Councilman Bill May said before the motion was tabled that he opposed it.

“I understand the concern with overtime costs, but we should be looking at this as an investment in our town,” he said. “These events bring tens of thousands of people to downtown Butler.”

Councilmen Richard Schontz Jr. and Cheri Readie were not at the meeting due to a family obligation and illness, respectively.

Council members will discuss the motion at next month’s meeting. If approved, the amended ordinance would need another reading and vote the following month before it goes into effect.

Ed Schnur, treasurer of the Rodfathers Motorsports Club of Butler, which sponsors the Cruise-A-Palooza in the summer, spoke against the motion.

“I looked over the numbers and there’s no possible way we can put on the activity paying so much money,” he told council. “It just can’t happen.”

Dan Cunningham, another spokesman for the group, said he understands the city’s need for revenue, but said his group would have to consider relocating the event with the fee hike.

“The request of 50 to 75 percent is just not economically feasible for us,” he said. “We could easily do it at another venue. We wouldn’t want to. It’s your decision, and we respect that. I hope you would respect ours.”

Sheri Hershberger, the president of the Butler Fall Festival, also expressed concern about the fees to council.

Hershberger said the canceled event last year has set the festival back financially due to lost sponsorships and giving away vendor spots this year.

“This would be significant,” she said of an increase of the city fee.

After the meeting, Donaldson said he understood the concerns of the event holders, but said the city needs help financially.

“These are all nonprofits, but so are we,” he said. “And we can’t raise our taxes.”

Donaldson said the long-running events paid nothing for many years. It wasn’t until 2007 that they began to pay the 25 percent reimbursement.

Councilwoman Kathy Kline said the overtime costs associated with the events have gone up over the years.

“It’s not the same cost to the city as it was years ago,” she said.

Donaldson said the events make up the largest portion of police overtime during the year.

May said the events bring more to the city than the cost of overtime.

“I think it’s short-sighted,” he said of the proposal, adding the increased number of visitors greatly benefits tax-paying businesses downtown. “It’s not worth the few extra thousand dollars we’d save.”