The city of Ames voted last month to allocate $2,000 to Maggie Luttrell, ex-officio student liaison to the City Council, for a year-end event, despite some concerns held by council members.

“As I recall, this is a separate event from Veishea, and within two weeks after it,” said Jami Larson, 2nd Ward city councilman. “It’s similar to the welcome-back student event we do each year, and that takes up a lot of staff time.”

Larson said allocating money for the event was an issue for him.

“The council paid $2,000 for this event, and our contingency fund was short already,” he said. “Plus, Veishea also asked for more money than last year. I’d rather increase the council’s participation in Veishea.”

Luttrell said, to her knowledge, the event’s scheduling doesn’t conflict with anything.

“It’s right after Veishea, but before Dead Week,” she said. “It’s a chance for students to meet people in the city and hear them say, ‘Here’s what we do’.”

Luttrell hopes to make the event both fun and educational.

“I keep hearing about student apathy, and so I want there to be a fun opportunity for students to get to learn about the people who run this city,” Luttrell said. “The idea is to not only have a good time, but to educate students.”

The event is planned for April 21, to run from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Ames Fire Station 2 in Campustown.

There will be free food, and members from most levels of city administration will be present so students can meet them in person.

“At the event, there will be council members and representatives from almost every agency involved with Ames,” Luttrell said. “It’s a way to get around the Internet, and talk to real people.”

Matthew Goodman, at-large city councilman, recognized Larson’s financial concern but is in support of the idea.

“It’s hard to know the value of an experiment like this, but it’s a relatively small amount,” Goodman said. “We shouldn’t be afraid to try new things.”

Although he wasn’t completely in favor of the event, Larson said he understood Luttrell’s goals.

“I can see Maggie’s interest in this event, but an event right before Dead Week won’t have a good turnout,” he said. “Maybe if we merge it with Veishea, or have it in June and focus on summer school students, that might work better.”