The political fireworks over the community celebrating the Fourth of July at Big League Dreams have turned out to be nothing more than a dud.

Weeks after Manteca Councilwoman Debby Moorhead’s questioning financial arrangements she thought benefited BLD’s bottom line at city expense prompted the council majority to take a second look at the sports complex arrangements for Independence Day festivities, Manteca’s leaders have decided the city is getting a fair deal.

The flare-up started when the premise was advanced at a council meeting that BLD wasn’t contributing anything to the celebration but was earning significant income from the restaurant receipts on Independence Day.

After staff further researched the issue, it was determined it cost BLD $21,295 to partner with the city essentially making the privately-held sports complex management firm the biggest sponsor of the event.

That figure reflects the $12,500 fee BLD normally charges when it turns the complex over to a single user such as the City of Manteca for use of the facilities. It also encompasses wages it pays its staff that day plus related expenses such as electricity, maintenance, and clean-up after some 7,000-plus people pass through the sports complex to attend the community Fourth of July celebration. The number also includes the entire gate of $5,524 that BLD allowed the city to keep.

The contract with the city gives it use of the complex three times a year but doesn’t contain language that waives the facility fee.

In addition, the city’s 25-year agreement with BLD gives its 15 percent of the gross revenue at the restaurants year-round including on the Fourth of July.

BLD Chief Operating Officer Jeff Odekirk confirmed the firm has no problem donating use of the complex that day to meet one of the three days the city is allowed to schedule an event at the sports complex they built and then leased to BLD to operate, manage, and maintain.

City Manager Karen McLaughlin told the council last week that moving the celebration to another venue would cost the city money. She noted its proximity to the aerial fireworks launch site at the wastewater treatment plant just to the north makes it an ideal location for such a community gathering.

The council went ahead on a 3-1 vote with Moorhead absent and John Harris dissenting to tap $23,000 from the undesignated reserves of the recreation fund to help pay for the city’s Fourth of July costs, originally staff estimated $40,000 would be needed.

Harris’ qualms weren’t with the BLD arrangement. Instead, he doesn’t like the idea that if the city doesn’t recoup all of the money needed to stage the Fourth that it would essentially mean not all $23,00 would be returned to the recreation reserve that is essentially excess fees collected over the years to help support youth recreation programs.

Harris didn’t want to see even one penny possibly being taken away from providing kids with recreational opportunities.

The city, though, has $11,870 left over from last year’s receipts after staging the event. They also can augment that with around $5,600 in proceeds from the city’s fireworks’ booth that operates the week leading up to the Fourth of July at Union Road and Yosemite Avenue as well as vendor booth rentals and the sale of items such as Glo-sticks that brought in $363.61 last year. They also solicit donations to help cover the costs.

The single biggest expense is $16,800 for the aerial fireworks.