Athens City Council voted against hiring an event planner for the annual Halloween street party at Monday’s meeting.

 Four council members voted against the creation of the position: Nancy Bain, D-3rd Ward, Debbie Phillips, D-4th Ward, Jim Sands, D-at large and Amy Flowers, D-at large.

 Council members Paul Wiehl, D-1st Ward, and Carol Patterson, D-at large, voted in favor of contracting a Halloween event planner. Councilwoman Bojinka Bishop, D-2nd Ward, did not attend Monday’s meeting.

 Council members who voted against the Halloween event planner said that they did not hear support from their constituents or see the benefit of the position.

 “I just don’t think the planner project is ready to be implemented by council,” Sands said.

 Sands said that he would like to see the issue revisited as early as the end of this year or the beginning of next year by the new city administration and council members.

 An event planner could not have solved some of the problems at past Halloween street parties, such as participants burning cars, Bain said. She added that the street party is as safe as the city can make it.

 Wiehl and Patterson said that they want to see something different done with Halloween. 

“The people who are vested in (Halloween) need to take some responsibility,” Patterson said after the vote. “It’s been two years of spending time on Halloween and we’re right where we were two years ago.”