Rothbury Council approves 10 year permit for Electric Forest

Electric Forest is officially set for another decade, per a 5-2 vote from the Rothbury Village Council.

When rumors started building in the Forest Family that Madison House was seeking a ten-year permit to keep Electric Forest at Double JJ Ranch, excitement could hardly be quelled. Back in early October, the Rothbury Village Council initially approved the proposed permit with provisions, which made its way back to festival organizers throughout the month to amend and counter.

Now, with the tenth anniversary of the festival looming in 2020, the Rothbury council has approved the amended permit. The vote took place yesterday, November 5, during a special session where the 10-year permit was granted as well as an added early arrival day. For an extra cost, Forest Family members will be able to come home on Tuesday, extending their time in Sherwood to six full days. But that news was all-but-confirmed already. What’s newly surfaced now is that festival organizers are required to give the town six months prior notice if Electric Forest decides to become an extended six-day event.

The biggest negotiated effort occurred over the increased surcharges that the village wanted to collect on. Madison House went back-and-forth with the council wanting a larger piece of the pie, with $7.50 per ticket as opposed to the usual $6 cut Rothbury receives under the current contractual agreement. The two parties came to common grounds on a starting fee of $6.50 that would increase to $7.50 by the end of the tenth year agreement.

The decision didn’t come without some dissent from council members Scott Beishuizen and Robert Fulljames, who both voted no on the permit amendment. “I think they’re getting away too cheap.” Fulljames went on record to the Oceana County Press.

The 10-year renewal and approval for early Tuesday arrival didn’t address whether Electric Forest would be expanding the grounds for 2020. Madison House still has two months to inform the council over whether they decide to move forward with expansion plans.

H/T: Oceana County Press.