STURGIS, S.D. (KBHB) – Sturgis Mayor Mark Carstensen says the city will be looking at a lot of factors when deciding whether or not to host this year’s motorcycle rally.

The uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic has led to the cancellations of many events around the Black Hills, but city officials will wait until their mid-June meeting before making a decision on the rally.

In a Facebook post Wednesday, Mayor Carstensen says regardless as to whether or not the city hosts the rally, he believes motorcycle enthusiasts will still come.

Carstensen says they are gathering information from all points, including state, regional and local.

He says if the rally isn’t held, it will affect the city’s budget. He says the city of Sturgis, like all other cities across South Dakota, has a budget, and it needs to be balanced.

City officials have said that if the rally is cancelled, it could lead to increased property taxes, as well as sanitation fees. Furthermore, some city services could be either reduced or cut.

Carstensen says the Rally is one of South Dakota’s largest tourism events of the year, and a cancellation would not only affect the city but the state as a whole.