Prescott City Council approved city contract number 2025-163 on May 27 to continue the city's sponsorship of the Whiskey Off-Road event for two years while staff and the promoter jointly undertake a more detailed economic-impact study and the city develops a formal special-events sponsorship policy.

Why it matters: Whiskey Off-Road is a long-running, high-profile mountain-bike event the city describes as a pillar of Prescott's outdoor brand. Council and staff debated the fiscal balance between the city's in-kind operational costs and the event's local economic benefits; council members uniformly emphasized the need for transparent data and consistent policy for future sponsorship decisions.

Agreement terms and rationale: Staff presented a two-year interim contract funded from the lodging-tax allocation (sponsorship) that increases the city's cash contribution to $70,000 per year and limits in-kind services to the city's normal operational roles (venue, security/traffic control, sanitation, permit waivers, city liaison). The proposal reduces some of the nonstandard in-kind items the city had provided in earlier agreements (for example, hotel room blocks or private storage). Council members and the city manager framed the two-year agreement as a bridge to a longer-term, policy-guided relationship after the economic-impact study is complete.

Public comment and sponsors: Dozens of speakers and email submissions urged continued local support. Epic Rides (the promoter) and community advocates highlighted the event's long local history, volunteerism and beneficiary contributions to local nonprofits. Staff said existing studies provide wide-ranging estimates: an ASU study from 2013 estimated a multi-year economic impact for the region, while a 2024 applied-economics study assessing the event days estimated about $2.8 million in event-period spending within city boundaries (staff noted these studies capture different scopes and produce different results).

Council direction and follow-up: Council voted unanimously (7-0) to approve the two-year sponsorship, asked staff to coordinate an independent economic-impact study with the promoter (ASU was mentioned as a likely partner), and requested that the city craft a special-events policy that standardizes how sponsorships and in-kind services are handled across marquee events.