Whether or not the Town will continue funding a Community Events Committee will be up to the voters at Town Meeting after Selectmen voted 4-1 Tuesday, after much debate, to put the issue on the Oct. 27 Town Meeting agenda.

The Community Events 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 is asking to receive 25 percent of parking meter fees and 20 percent of the town's hotel and motel excise tax annually. The proposal also puts a cap on the total amount money the committee can receive from those sources at $60,000.

"We're a tourist town and we should encourage this and support the businesses," said Committee Chairwoman Susan Ricci-Sohn.

"I wouldn't put one cent into this account," said Selectman Patrick Tropeano, the one dissenting vote in the Selectman's decision. "We don't have the money to do it, in a few years we're going to be in receivership."

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 wording of the act only granted the committee funding for the first year the group was formed, even though the idea behind the act was to provide continuos funding. The group is now trying to rectify that error and in doing so is in danger of losing its funding sources.

Selectman Judith Whiteside asked the committee how much money it has spent and how many events it has funded in town for the past five years.

Ricci-Sohn said the committee spent $42,252, $41,239, $64,670, $62,300 and $30,410 (in 2014 when they requested $56,000) in the years 2010 through 2014 funding between 15 and 16 events each year.

That comes to an average of $48,174 per year.

When asked by Selectman Peter Teitelbaum why the Committee is seeking a ceiling of $60,000 and not something closer to $48,000, Ricci said some event organizers requested for funding beyond the deadline this past year.

Town Administrator Derek Sullivan said he anticipated by fiscal year 2016, the committee would receive about $57,000 using the proposed percentages.

The Committee also gave $21,000 to the town to fund the parking kiosk program established in 2013 but has yet to be reimbursed that figure from the Town.

Tropeano said the money from the hotel/motel tax that goes to the committee could go to the town's general fund instead.

"$60,000 could be somebody's paycheck," he said. "If the businesses want to have a way to bring in tourism, let them step up to the plate put some money together and go ahead and bring in some tourism."