The 51st anniversary of Bloody Sunday is three weeks away, and there is some confusion about what is being planned and who is sponsoring those events.

The city of Selma is planning four events as part of its “March on Selma Celebration.” Those include a welcome reception on Thursday, a business symposium on Friday and a couple of events Saturday, an evening gala and Motown concert at the Riverfront Amphitheater.

Selma Mayor George Evans said those events would help to make sure the city has a role during the busiest weekend of the year.

“The city has no interest in taking over the Jubilee. We couldn’t do it if we wanted to,” Evans said. “We do want to have an active role in what is going on.”

However, Jubilee organizers say the city’s events duplicate what they already offer and compete with the 25-year-old celebration.

“It does concern me when something gets to be very successful instead of people joining in they want to find a way to take it over,” said State Sen. Hank Sanders, who helped start the annual pilgrimage with his wife Faya Rose Toure. “We ought to all be able to find a way to work together.”

Evans said the city has been an active partner in trying to work with the Jubilee committee over the years. He said the city isn’t planning more than the four events scheduled. By comparison, Jubilee put on more than 40 events last year. An article in The Montgomery Advertiser titled “Selma adds its own march celebration” led some in the community to think the city was planning its own march.

“We are not planning another event, Selma,” Evans told those listening to the council meeting Tuesday. “We are planning an event that is part of what has been going on.”

Earlier this year, the city starting seeking sponsorships calling its plans “Selma Bridge Crossing Celebration.” Sponsorships varied from a $50,000 Dream Maker level down to a $2,500 Torchbearer package.

Jubilee organizers asked the city to stop using “Bridge Crossing” in its name. That’s when “March of Selma Celebration” was chosen instead.

“Unfortunately, we’ve being blamed for trying to take over Jubilee. What I’m doing acting as your mayor is asking that we want to be a part of things.”

Jubilee organizers say their event depends on sponsorships and for the city to use “Bridge Crossing” in seeking funding was potentially misleading.

“I don’t have a problem with the city raising money, [but] that’s designed to cause confusion and everything,” Sanders said.

The city is seeking sponsorships to help recoup some of its cost from Jubilee. Last year’s event brought 120,000 people to Selma but also cost $165,000, mostly in overtime for first responders and public works employees.

Evans said every year he asks the Jubilee committee to help with the costs and he gets the same reply — that the event didn’t make any money.

“We have received nothing, not anything,” Evans said. “[We want to] try to break even. We are not trying to make a profit.”

The city didn’t receive a bump for sales and lodging taxes last year either. Despite the record crowds, sales tax was only up $16,000 compared to March 2014, and lodging taxes were actually higher in April and May than they were for March.

Sanders said the Jubilee committee doesn’t make that kind of money, and that only a handful of its events have admission.

“Forty something events … that takes a massive amount of resources. Only very few of those were paying events, all the rest were free,” Sanders said. “It takes a tremendous amount of money.”

Evans estimates this year’s Jubilee — expected to be smaller than last year’s historic event — to cost the city approximately $50,000 in overtime.

Sanders said there is benefit for the city, and tourists come to Selma throughout the year because of the interest the Jubilee generates.

“The Jubilee helps to cause people to come in year around. You want to bring folks in that has a very powerful economic impact,” Sanders said. “Instead of trying to find ways to discourage folks, you ought to be finding ways to encourage people to come in.”

Toure said in more than two decades of volunteering with Jubilee, she has taken no salary.

“I’ve never gotten a penny from being coordinator of the Jubilee or a thank you [from the city],” Toure said.

Evans said the only other event that costs the city any significant money is the Battle of Selma.

The annual Civil War battle reenactment costs the city a fraction of what Jubilee runs — about $10,000 in overtime last year for the battle’s 150th anniversary.

Toure said if the city starts charging for community events it must be fair and charge everyone.

“When you start charging Jubilee and not other organizations, you will see me in court and that’s one case I will win,” Toure said.