The question over whether the Gore District Council should continue to run events was a contentious one, with 236 people voting no and 209 wanting the events to continue.
This spilled over into the hearings for the LTP held over Monday and Tuesday this week, with many voicing their concerns with fiscal responsibility.
The issue with events was the amount council put in during a time where people were struggling, with events being seen as a "nice to have" and something to reduce to save costs.
However Bayleys Tussock Country trustee Jeff Rea and promotions co-ordinator Annabel Roy, speaking to the hearings panel, disagreed with this sentiment.
Mr Rea said during the country music festival, not only were there serious economic benefits, but the council investment helped put Gore on to the map and attract future investment.
Mr Rea stated other cities such as Nashville, Tamworth, and Kalgoorlie all ran similar events with investment from their councils, to great success.
Mrs Roy said Gore should work to preserve its title as the country music capital of New Zealand, and the festival brought a lot in for the community.
"Last year, the festival put $2.1 million into Gore’s economy.
"If we don’t [invest], we risk losing not only the title but the economic benefits from it," she said.
On the topic of events, Gore District Council chief executive Debbie Lascelles said, in a statement, the decision would be decided by the council and would take a lot into consideration.
"They will consider the number of people who attend events, the social and economic benefit that events offer our District."
"[And] What other options there might be to consider, such as scaling back or establishing funding for volunteers to run events."
Ms Lascelles stated the data was a bit murky regarding direct economic benefits, but were an encompassing issue for council to explore.
"Currently, there is no formal data on the economic benefits that these events contribute to the district, other than the number of participants.
"However, councillors are aware that events are an economic enabler and will balance the consideration of these issues with the community request to save on rates."
