Cullman City Council: Updated 1st quarter revenue report shows economic impact of Christkindlmarkt

CULLMAN, Ala. – The Cullman City Council on Monday corrected its statement from earlier in the month about revenues for the first quarter of Fiscal Year 2025, noting a substantial increase in income from the initial report. The City’s first report for October through December 2024 noted a slight decrease in revenues (dropping by $179,201 or 1.2% from FY2024) and a decrease in expenses (decreased capital spending bringing expenses down by 18.7%), but the report did not include revenue figures from the 2024 Cullman Christkindlmarkt, which had not been completed and submitted by Cullman Parks, Recreation & Sports Tourism. Those numbers made a remarkable difference.

While the updated report still shows October and November revenues around 1% below last year, December and January (much of Christkindlmarkt’s revenue was not totaled until January, and so went on that month’s report) were up from $4,938,454.13 in FY2024 to $5,821,988.31 in FY2025, a 17.89% increase.

Though local vendors’ totals lumped together their Christkindlmarkt income with regular retail sales, CPRST Executive Director Nathan Anderson estimated that the event itself accounted for $7-8 million in additional taxable sales, including a confirmed $3.5 million in sales by out-of-town vendors.

Cullman’s Christkindlmarkt launched modestly at the end of calendar year 2022, early in FY2023. Comparing December/January of FY2025 to December/January FY2022 (the last year before the market), revealed a notable difference:

December/January FY2022 had $4,659,554.51 in tax revenue

December/January FY2025 had $5,821,988.31 in tax revenue

In the years since the creation of the Cullman Christkindlmarkt, the City has experienced a 24.9% increase in sales tax revenues during the Christmas season of December to January, from the market and other sources.

Other council business

The council approved:

• A special event request from Amanda Garrison of Sonic for a drive-in car show on the first Fridays of April, May, June, August and September 2025 from 6-8 p.m. each day
• A resolution to enter into a contract with Sain Associates for surveying services
• An ordinance (on the first reading by suspension of regular rules) to annex property located at 586 County Road 1329 into the city as a low-density residential district

The Cullman City Council typically meets at 7 p.m. on the second and fourth Mondays of each month in the Cullman City Hall auditorium. The public is invited to attend.

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