The Oamaru food and wine festival has lost the chance of $10,000 underwriting from the Waitaki District Council in case of rain, which could put the event in doubt from 2013.
But the loss may be a result of a misunderstanding between the council and the festival committee over the deadline for a "detailed and approved budget" to be provided to the council.
Last month, the council's committee of the whole recommended the council underwrite February's festival up to $10,000 if the event was cancelled due to bad weather, subject to the provision of the budget by the organising committee.
When the council came to consider that recommendation on Tuesday, it had not received the budget.
The council then decided not to underwrite the event, as the budget had not been provided.
Festival committee chairman Mark Julius said he knew the council had asked for the budget, but not that there was a deadline of Tuesday's council meeting. The committee had that budget approved and available.
While regretting the council had not provided the guarantee for bad weather, Mr Julius said February's event would still go ahead. The committee had sufficient financial reserves for next year's festival, but if it was rained out, the reserve would be used up, putting future festivals in jeopardy.
Cr Kevin Malcolm moved the motion to decline underwriting the event. He said there had been "some degree of urgency" when the organisers approached the committee last month "but three weeks later we have not received the detailed budget we asked for", he said.
Crs Hugh Perkins and Jim Hopkins said more time should be given out of courtesy to the festival organisers but Crs Gary Young and Craig Dawson believed underwriting the festival was gambling with ratepayers' money.
