CARMEL, Ind. — The City of Carmel is taking new steps to oversee how it partners with affiliate organizations and non-profits like Christkindlmarkt. City Councilors approved plans Monday night to form a special review committee. All of this follows tension and controversy FOX59/CBS4 first reported back in October surrounding the city’s role in footing part of the bill for the revered holiday tradition. A unanimous decision during Monday night’s meeting to create an “Affiliate Review Committee” marked the latest chapter in the controversy surrounding the city’s role with Christkindlmarkt. The beloved holiday event has amounted to more than $8 million in city spending since 2017, Mayor Sue Finkam revealed back in October. At that time, she asserted the city would recoup nearly $1.5 million in costs toward this year’s event and made swift changes to the Carmel Christkindlmarkt Inc. Board. "Questions were mounting," said Carmel City Councilor Jeff Worrell. "And there was just kind of a lack of information it felt like." Worrell said growing concern within the Carmel community led to the idea of an investigation. However, he said that idea quickly turned into a proposed collaboration between the mayor’s office and the council to better understand the city’s partnerships with certain non-profits and community development corporations like Christkindlmarkt. "We should look at everything," Worrell said. "What is the cost to the citizens of Carmel? What’s the benefit?" Six people will serve on the new joint committee, including the mayor, two people she appoints and three city council members. Finkam said the goal is to create more transparency. "I think now is the perfect time because we are coming off my first year, and we’ve been slowly going through these organizations looking at them, Promote Carmel, Christkindlmarkt, and our CDCs," she said. "So now we’re ready to take the next step and discuss those with the council." The committee will release a final report including a summary of each organization’s purpose, its governance structure, federal tax requirements, total cash compensation of its executives, risks to the city, a historical record of investments the city has made to each organization and a current balance sheet of each organization's assets and liabilities. "I think we’ll just look at all of them and identify risks and opportunities for all of them," Finkam said. "I think we’ll put to bed any questions that people have about these different organizations." The city hopes to launch the committee in February. The committee will dissolve after it completes all reviews. Carmel Christkindlmarkt CEO Maria Adele Rosenfeld shared the following statement: "We will continue to cooperate fully with the City of Carmel and Carmel City Council to foster a sustainable partnership built on a foundation of transparency, enabling the Carmel Christkindlmarkt to be enjoyed for generations to come. We are fully focused on bringing our visitors the best Market season yet as we prepare for opening day." Christkindlmarkt kicks off Nov. 23 and runs through Dec. 24 at Carter Green.