Buellton City Council opts for Winter Fest drone show, selects vendor

By Mike Chaldu · Mon Aug 31 2026

City also discusses options for law enforcement services at Aug. 24 meeting

It looks like those attending this year's Buellton Winter Fest in December will have an added attraction after the City Council, in its Monday, Aug. 24, meeting voted to have a drone show as part of the city's annual holiday event at River View Park, which be held on Sunday, Dec. 6.

The discussion of a drone show was started during the council's previous meeting, on Monday, Aug. 10, where the details of a potential show were discussed, including cost, number of drones used, possible vendors, and sponsorship opportunities. The council wasn't able to come to a consensus at that meeting, but were able to on Aug. 24.

In re-introducing the item, City Manager Scott Wolfe identified three potential vendors, each with three different cost estimate for each depending on the number of drones to be used. The council was also provided with illustrations showing what the drone displays would look like with different numbers of drones. Prices ranged from as low as $10,000 for a 100-drone show to $41,000 for a 400-drone show.

Buellton Mayor David Silva begin deliberation by first polling staff on whether they wanted to pursue a drone show for the Winter Fest, with four of the five councilmembers (Hudson Hornick being opposed) agreeing to do it.

From that point, it became a matter of, as Silva put it, "finding our price point."

Hornick, who was opposed to City Council paying for the show, believed that finding that "price point" could be difficult.

"Respectfully, one of my concerns, is the illustrations are hard to discern the difference on these images," he said.

"My concern is about what’s going to be an annual budget item, and we don’t really have the info yet on what would be a good spend."

City Councilmember Elysia Lewis, who had to leave the Aug. 10 meeting halfway due to illness, brought up the possibility of using sponsorships to get some of the money back.

"I say we go all out, do what we need to do as a city to recoup the funds, with sponsorships and things like that," she said. Buellton Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Kathy Vreeland said that could be a possibility, although a big ask for local businesses.

Vice Mayor Carla Mead said the drone show could be a chance to do something that no one else in the Valley has done, and there are benefits to that kind of display.

"It would be a fun thing to have," she said. "It’s exciting, it brings a lot of people. Goleta gets people from all over for their show.

"We would be first in Valley to do this. Something to compete with Solvang fireworks and this would be safer, and better for the environment."

Ultimately, Silva believed a drone show would be a good thing for Buellton's image.

"Buellton needs identity, pride, not just a gas station town," the mayor said. "People here want amenities, things building civic pride. This would make Winter Fest more successful, and more economic ripples could come from this."

Silva made a motion to accept Electric Sky, a vendor out of Los Angeles, and its $29,500, 300-drone show, which would be the midpoint in cost and number of drones out of the three options offered. After Lewis seconded, the motion passes by a 4-1 vote with Hornick casting the "no" vote.

The vote on the drones finished off a busy open session. In other business, the city discussed its future options for law enforcement services.

Buellton has contract with the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Department since its incorporation in 1992. However, in introducing the item, City Manager Scott Wolfe said the the Lompoc Police Department has engaged with both Buellton and Solvang city officials about operating its law enforcement services. While Buellton has been generally happy with the performance of the Sheriff's Department, its contract has been less cost-effective, and there has been some contention between the city and the SBSD administration.

Representative from both agencies were at the meeting to state their cases.

Lompoc Police Chief Kevin Martin told the council that if they were to contract with LPD, it would hire 20 additional 20 officers, with two officers each stationed in Buellton and Solvang, and one supervisor and one lieutenant serving the two-city area.

When Silva asked Martin how LPD would benefit, Martin answered that they would get more officers and a larger footprint. Also, the chief liked the idea of rotating officers to the Valley, which has a lighter call volume than Lompoc.

"It would allow some officers to decompress," Martin said. "I would be a help to officers' mental health overall."

Afterward, Sheriff's Lt. Travis Henderson stated the case for his agency, saying it has been proud partners with Buellton, and its deputies have become part of the community. He also said that, while one deputy is assigned to the town, it gets so much more.

"You get the entire package, all our services and resources," he said. "The idea you’re paying for one deputy is a fallacy. We are proud to be your police, and want to continue."

No action was taken for the item, but council agreed to weigh its options, and said it planned to extend by one year its sheriff's contract, which currently expires in July 2027.

Buellton adopts new City Council meeting schedule

The Aug. 24 meeting was the second one held by the City Council since it decided to switch it's meeting days from Thursdays to Mondays. The idea was brought up in June and voted on in the Thursday, July 9, meeting.

City Manager Scott Wolfe said in that meeting the idea was being considered because in many instances councilmembers have to miss the Thursday meetings because of their attendance at conferences such as the League of California Cities.

Meeting on Monday was suggested since very few outside meetings are done on that day. The council voted to move the meeting to the second and fourth Mondays of the month and approved by a narrow 3-2 vote with Hornick and John Sanchez voting no.

The council meets next on Monday, Sept. 14, at 6 p.m.