Springfield's Pridefest Funding Concerns Voiced by Greene County Clerk

Greene County Clerk Shane Schoeller expressed concerns on Facebook about taxpayer dollars being used to sponsor the upcoming Ozarks Pridefest, stating that it is a sensitive and controversial cultural issue. However, the City of Springfield clarified that they are not sponsors of the event, but rather have obtained entry-level sponsorships to set up booths for providing service information. The health department’s interest is solely to provide health-related information to the public, while human resources is utilizing the event as an employment recruitment opportunity. The three government entities involved shell out a few hundred dollars for Pridefest, which takes between $25-30,000 to run.