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HomeMy WebLinkAbout20180604 - VIII-C-1 Special Events Policy City Council Memorandum To: Mayor Hicks & City Council Members From: Sarah Hodder, Deputy Clerk/HR Tech Date: June 4, 2018 Item: Special Events Policy Council Action Requested: Consider and adopt the attached policy relating to Special Events held in the City of Hastings Background Information: With increasing interest in hosting events in Hastings, City staff were directed to formulate a policy designed to define what and how much the City will contribute in resources to each event organizer who requests to hold a special event on public property. The Administrative Committee of the Council (Braucks*, Lund, Folch) met on April 25, 2018 via conference call to discuss the policy and offer guidance on level of City support for each event based on a tiered system that events would be categorized in by meeting certain criteria. The feedback from that meeting has resulted in the attached policy. Defining the level of City support will assist staff in determining when and what to charge for services provided by City staff in association with a special event. Events that have previously been hosted in Hastings will be supported at the level that they have received in past years as long as the request does not increase the amount of City services that need to be provided to ensure a safe event. Financial Impact: Varies based on event type Advisory Commission Discussion: N/A Council Committee Discussion: Available for review in attached follow-up agenda Attachments: VIII-C-1  Administrative Committee Follow-Up Meeting Notes  Special Events Policy VIII-C-1 City of Hastings  101 Fourth Street East  Hastings, MN 55033-1944  Phone: 651-480-2350  www.hastingsmn.gov Administrative Committee Meeting April 25, 2018 12:00 pm Conference Call SPECIAL EVENTS Follow-Up Members Present via Conference call: Braucks*, Lund, Folch Staff Present: Melanie Mesko Lee, Julie Flaten, Sarah Hodder Other Attendees: Tom Montgomery representing the Hasting Rotary Club Mesko Lee introduced the subject of the meeting and encouraged committee members to discuss fees and City resources allocated to organized events. City staff is frequently asked to waive fees/charges as part of an event sponsored by a local group. Staff has periodically brought requests forward which include a fee waiver. Staff summarized the various impacts of these requests and look for Council feedback on the philosophy of doing so. Committee members discussed the draft policy that was provided and had the following feedback:  Employ a tiered system of providing support to various event categories rather than using terms like “sponsored” or “co-sponsored” o Tiers based on amount of City involvement and general public interest o Could assign a percentage range of City support for each tier o Make the qualifications to fit into each tier very clear to reduce confusion for staff and event organizers when classifying where the event fits in the policy o Provide documentation/information on where event organizers can find policies/ordinances relating to events  Providing an invoice outlining the cost incurred by the City to organizers to document the financial impact the event has on City funds. o Could help organizers to understand the impact and deter requests to waive o Create a formal agreement that organizers signs signifying they understand the cost  Provide event organizers with alternative resources that would reduce the cost incurred/owed to the City (ie. Private security vs. paying for police officers) Mr. Montgomery addressed the Committee on behalf of the Rotary regarding their concert event. It is the intent of the Rotary to grow this event each year and they would like to have as much City financial support as possible. VIII-C-1 City of Hastings  101 Fourth Street East  Hastings, MN 55033-1944  Phone: 651-480-2350  www.hastingsmn.gov SPECIAL EVENT POLICY 1. Purpose The purpose of this policy is to set forth procedures to be followed by organizer of Special Events who wish to exclusively use City property and/or require City services to ensure safety and coordination. Any organization wishing to sponsor or hold a Special Event will be required to complete a Special Event Permit Application no less than 60 days prior to the event. The City will conduct a thorough review, request City Council approval, and inform the applicant if the event is approved. A Special Event is defined as any race, concert, community celebration, fundraiser, dance, car show, large assembly, or other Special Event on City property that has received City Council approval. 2. City Services Provided for Special Events Tier 1: Tier 1 events are those events that are larger scale for which the City provides some basic services without charge. Tier 1 events are those events that the City Council has determined have a broad interest to the public and a broad duration and impact on public resources. This could include multi-day events and/or events which require significant impacts on street/trail/public infrastructure. The City may provide financial support to these events as determined in the annual budget appropriation up to 100% of related personnel costs and/or City equipment. Licensing costs are not included in City supported funding. The City must be listed as a key co-sponsor of the event on promotional materials and may promote through various media outlets. The event organizer may be asked to provide reimbursement for costs in excess of the support level authorized in the budget appropriation. Criteria to qualify as a Tier 1 event:  Event is organized by a local group, association, or non-profit organization  Attendance is open to all members of the public  Admission is free for all or a majority of the event  An established event (10 + years) with demonstrated ongoing community value  Significant impact of public facilities/resources  Event expenses are appropriated annually during the budget process Tier 2: The City may provide up to 75% of related personnel costs and/or City equipment to assist Special Events operated by Tier 2 organizations. Tier 2 events are those events that the City Council has determined are in the general interest to the public and have limited duration and impact on public resources. The City may provide financial support to these events as determined in the annual budget appropriation. Licensing costs are not included in City supported funding. City support may include Police Reservists, blocking of streets, barricades etc. These events must be approved by City Council and the organizer must reimburse the City for any costs in excess of this support level. Approval of an event does not require the City to VIII-C-1 City of Hastings  101 Fourth Street East  Hastings, MN 55033-1944  Phone: 651-480-2350  www.hastingsmn.gov approve similar events or even the repeat of the same event in subsequent years. Each event will be reviewed and approved separately. Criteria to qualify as a Tier 2 event:  Event is organized by a local group, association, or non-profit organization  Attendance is open to all members of the public  Admission is free for all or a majority of the event  Limited impact on public facilities/resources  Event expenses are appropriated annually during the budget process Tier 3: The City may provide up to 50% of related personnel costs and/or City equipment to assist Special Events operated by Tier 3 organizations. Licensing costs are not included in City supported funding. These events must be approved by City Council and the organizer and must reimburse the City for any costs in excess of this support level. Approval of an event does not require the City to approve similar events or even the repeat of the same event in subsequent years. Each event will be reviewed and approved separately. Criteria to qualify as a Tier 3 event:  Event is organized by a non-profit organization  Attendance is open to all members of the public  Admission/participation fee may be charged with significant portion of proceeds intended for charitable cause  Lower impact on public facilities/resources Tier 4: Approval of all other events is at the sole discretion of the City of Hastings. Events must be determined to be in the general interest of the public. These events are subject to a fee for use of public property and must pay 100% of City costs related to the event. Approval of an event does not require the City to approve similar events or even the repeat of the same event in subsequent years. Each event will be reviewed and approved separately. Criteria to qualify as a Tier 4 event:  Event is organized by private business or for profit organization  Attendance may/may not be open to the public  Admission/participation fee may be charged and proceeds intended for organizing entity/cause  Lower impact on public facilities/resources Waiving Fees The City understands the value of each of the Special Event applications and the true community and economic value of the events. We also appreciate the dedication of these individuals to their causes. The City is aware of balancing the public purpose to support individual event needs with overall resources dedicated to privately run events. This policy affords for most Special Event organizers to receive a discounted service for City services. The level of support most recently provided for any event held in the past 12 months will remain as is going forward, unless specifically approved by the City Council as part of the budget and/or event approval process. VIII-C-1 City of Hastings  101 Fourth Street East  Hastings, MN 55033-1944  Phone: 651-480-2350  www.hastingsmn.gov New events or previous events that have not been held in the last 12 months will be categorized according to this policy. 3. Fees For Special Events a. Hourly Rate is the hourly cost for any employee working on a Special Event. These rates are charged according to City Ordinance §34.04 (a) which lists a rate of two (2) times the hourly rate paid to the staff person who is performing services. These fees are reviewed annually. b. Purchased or Rented Materials includes all direct costs for materials provided by the City of Hastings for use at the event. c. Equipment Charges include current equipment usage rates as established by the City fee schedule. 4. Alternatives to City Services a. Applicants have the option to hire qualified private security to satisfy any public safety requirements identified by staff during review of the event request. b. Posting of signage relating to street closures, parking restrictions, lot closures, etc. may be done by event volunteers based on a timeline identified by staff during review of the event request. Placement will be reviewed by the proper City authorities for accuracy. VIII-C-1