It never reached the level of, say, Coachella, but anticipation would grow each April in advance of the announcement of the lineup for the Beaumont Summer Concert Series.
While most cities offering concerts book local groups and tribute bands, Beaumont had performers such as LeAnn Rimes, Rick Springfield, Pat Benatar and Switchfoot grace the stage at Stewart Park over the past decade. They drew thousands from throughout the region.
And it was all free — at least to out-of-town visitors. Beaumont taxpayers were spending about $250,000 per year booking acts – $65,000 alone to bring Kenny Rogers to town last year.
That has turned out to be the final performance. The concerts have be canceled in the wake of a corruption probe in the city and subsequent investigations showing the city budget in the red.
“We have to heal the city,” said Community Services Director Bob Sherwood, who has shepherded the concerts since the start.
Beaumont has been running a budget deficit for many years, a point that came to light after the Riverside County District Attorney’s office, with the help of the FBI, raided City Hall and other locations in April 2015.
That was followed by a scathing report from the state Controller criticizing how the 40,000-resident city straddling Interstate-10 in the San Gorgonio Pass was keeping its books.
The DA’s investigation led to the arrest of seven former city officials, who are collectively facing 94 felony charges, including embezzlement, misappropriation of funds, conspiracy and conflict of interest.
The charges stem from the suspected misappropriation of $43 million in public money over two decades, according to the district attorney’s office.
Sherwood said money for the concerts was always just part of the budget.
“We were told it was in the general fund and we’d bring the package back each year,” he said Thursday, May 19.
But the concerts were not itemized in budgets approved by the City Council. Sherwood said a study of recent budgets did not show a line item for the shows.
Elizabeth Gibbs, who was interim city manager until this week, said last year that it was believed the city had the money to support such an expenditure, but that audits have showed the city has been operating in a deficit for some time.
By the time Rogers sang “The Gambler” in July, Beaumont’s financial issues had come to light.
“Last year, I didn’t feel right doing it, but it was already paid for,” Sherwood said of the shows.
Sherwood is hoping the concerts can resume in a couple years after the city straightens out its finances, but he said they can’t be free any more.
For now, the annual Fourth of July event has been saved, as $12,000 was found in the Community Services Department budget to pay for fireworks. The city has kicked in $13,000 for a pair of tribute bands and other amenities. The Beaumont Cherry Valley Recreation and Park will pay $8,500 toward the event, Sherwood said.
The concerts were a big help to the Beaumont Chamber of Commerce, which held its Market Night fundraisers those evenings. Those have also been canceled, though the chamber will hold a Market Night during the July 4 event. The chamber no longer receives any money from the city.
Sherwood is hopeful that the chamber or other group can take over management of the Independence day event in the future.
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