The Community Events Committee is looking to go to Town Meeting to amend legislation maintaining its funding and ability to promote events in town.

The Committee provides financial assistance for promotion and advertising for community events, activities, projects, services and programs “which are of mutual interest to the visitors and residents of the Town of Wareham.”

The Committee was established by a state Act in 2007 and funded with 70 percent of Wareham’s hotel/motel excise tax and 40 percent of the parking meter funds. But the act only granted the committee funding for the first year the group was formed and is now in danger of losing its funding sources.

"[The Act] appeared only to authorize that distribution from the parking meter funds to community events for the first year, which apparently was not intended at the time but was written and passed at the time," said Selectman Peter Teitelbaum. "So this is to cure that, essentially to legitimize their funding source."

The Committee proposed a measure to go before Town Meeting in October to receive a fixed percentage of fees and taxes collected by the town.

But Selectmen voted Tuesday not to put the measure before Town Meeting in its current form citing fears that a percentage of funds, rather than a set dollar amount, could provide a potentially unlimited source of money to the committee.

The Committee asked for an annual deposit of 25 percent of the parking meter funds and 20 percent of the hotel/motel tax. Selectmen said with significant revenues expected from both of those areas in the coming years, it would be better to put a cap on how much money could go to the committee so as not to “overfund” it.

Committee Chair Susan Ricci said the committee needs about $65,000 per year to fund promotion for various events in town.

“The fireworks alone takes $16,000,” Ricci said.

She said this past year, the committee made cuts across the board and operated with $30,000 for 2014, “because we don’t have any money,” Ricci said.

Town Administrator Derek Sullivan said at the proposed funding levels (25 percent of parking funds and 20 percent of hotel/motel tax) the committee would receive about $35,000 based on the numbers for 2014. He anticipated by fiscal year 2016, the committee would receive about $57,000 using those percentages.

Selectmen voted not to put the measure before Town Meeting without a cap. Slavin said that the board was not voting on whether they liked the measure or not, just whether or not it had any flaws that should prohibit it from being put to Town Meeting voters.

The Committee will have another chance to bring an amended measure to Selectmen at the Sept. 9 meeting with the hopes of getting it to the October Town Meeting.