BRISTOL, Va. (WJHL) – The Bristol, Virginia City Council has decided to increase its funding for the nonprofit Believe in Bristol, raising it from $50,000 to $70,000 for the fiscal year.

The council reached a unanimous decision on Tuesday night to allocate an extra $20,000 to the organization.

Previously, the city had reserved this $20,000 as a potential resource for other event-related expenses.

Mayor Becky Nave of Bristol, VA, explained, “Initially, we budgeted $70,000 for Believe in Bristol. However, we withheld $20,000 to possibly fund events, such as the upcoming VA 250. We also considered hosting a significant Fourth of July celebration at Cumberland Park and explored how this additional $20,000 could be utilized for such events.”

In their proposal to the city council, Believe in Bristol highlighted that they operate across both state lines and receive equivalent support of $70,000 from Bristol, Tennessee.

The non-profit also stated that they work with a small staff in order to bring events to downtown. They presented the city council with success rates of events hosted over the past year and ideas for future events that could be held with the additional funding.

Nave said the funding difference between the states was due to the population difference across the state line, but she’s glad the council was able to give Believe in Bristol the full allocated funding.

“The City of Bristol, Virginia supports Believe in Bristol,” she said. “We support our downtown businesses, and we know how important this initiative is to Virginia State Main Street, and we are excited about moving forward with them.”