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Council debates who should pay event security for Sunnyside signature events; moves to revise LTAC application and fee schedule
Summary
Sunnyside councilors discussed whether event organizers or the city should pay for security at large signature events after police testified that officer overtime bills for major events can be high; the council asked LTAC and staff to revise the application and prepare a police fee schedule.
Sunnyside City Councilors and staff spent substantial time at a study session debating how to pay for security at large signature events and whether tourism (LTAC) funds should be used to cover police overtime.
Police and staff described past practice and costs. Police leadership said that when the city takes direct responsibility for an event it has historically covered officer overtime; the department reported paying $28,550.50 in overtime for last year’s Cinco de Mayo when the city provided police coverage. The police chief told council that if event organizers had to hire outside security, major events could incur security bills “north of $30,000,” and that a single night parade with many officers could be several thousand dollars.
That prompted questions from councilors about LTAC (lodging tax) policy and the LTAC application. Deputy Mayor Gebaughn and councilors discussed whether the LTAC application should require applicants to contact the Sunnyside Police Department for an estimate and whether event organizers should budget for security as part of their event applications. Councilor Hart and others said historically event vendors budgeted for security in their applications and that it is reasonable to expect event organizers to include security costs in their budgets.
City staff noted a change after the COVID-19 period: since the city directly managed some signature events (for example when no outside organizer stepped forward for Cinco de Mayo), the city covered those overtime costs; that practice may have set a precedent. Councilors worried that using LTAC funds to pay full security costs for multiple signature events could quickly deplete the lodging-tax fund.
The council asked staff, LTAC and the police chief to do three things: (1) revise the LTAC application and include a security line and a requirement that applicants contact the Sunnyside Police Department for an estimate; (2) develop a fee schedule with police overtime rates so applicants can budget accurately; and (3) obtain legal advice about whether reimbursing security costs or covering them with LTAC funds risks gifting public funds or otherwise raises legal issues. The city agreed not to publish the revised LTAC application until the city attorney can advise and staff can prepare the fee schedule; the council asked LTAC to return with a formal recommendation at the next regular meeting.
No final policy change was adopted at the study session; the conversation ended with direction to LTAC and staff to prepare a revised application, a fee schedule and legal guidance for council consideration at the next regular meeting.
