Ferndale council adopts revised special-events policy with formal waiver process and manager sign-off

Ferndale City Council on March 13 approved amendments to the city’s special‑events policy, adding a formal process for applicants to request waivers and directing final editorial approval to the city manager before the policy takes effect.

The council’s amendment requires event applicants to request any needed waivers “no later than the final scheduled meeting of the special events committee prior to the committee’s final recommendation.” The special events committee will recommend approval or denial of requested waivers as part of its final recommendation to council. The full policy will be returned to the city manager for final wording before the document goes into effect.

Council members said the changes respond to recurring safety and logistics concerns raised by police, fire and public works staff when large downtown events are planned. The update codifies long‑standing practices—such as department walkthroughs before events and the need for event fencing, barricades and emergency access—while adding more explicit guidance on when organizers may seek exceptions.

Event organizers and community members who addressed the council described specific pain points during the committee review. Julia Musick, who runs Ferndale Pride, told council that special events materially increase downtown parking revenue and urged flexibility for multi‑stage setups: “For us, that would mean Woodward would have to be shut down the day before because our small stage is not set up until the morning of,” Musick said, arguing that vendor access windows as written would be difficult for recurring events.

Chris Johnston, an organizer of the DIY street fair and Pig & Whiskey, asked for exceptions for long‑running organizers and suggested a carve‑out or reduced fees for events that have demonstrated proven parking or attendance records. “If you haven’t proven you’re going to bring in more money for parking, then you could be charged this fee. But if you’ve established some sort of record, maybe that wouldn’t be the case,” Johnston said.

City staff said many of the proposed revisions came from the special events committee—representatives from police, fire, public works, sustainability, parking and the Ferndale DDA—not from event staff alone. Michael (special events coordinator) told council, “A lot of these requirements…are asked from the fire and police and DPW. They’re not coming from me,” and described the review timeline that includes an application review, a committee meeting and a pre‑event walkthrough.

Public safety officials emphasized the operational reasons for stricter setup and fencing rules. Fire Chief (Chief Emery) said the committee’s requirements aim to preserve emergency access, ensure ADA compliance, and reduce last‑minute hazards: “When our events are getting bigger and bigger…there’s a lot of other logistics,” he said, describing why predictable planning benefits responders and the public.

A recurring topic was the intersection of the city’s year‑round patio zone (the municipal social district that allows off‑premises beverage consumption in specified areas) and special‑event liquor licenses. Staff and the city attorney said current Michigan Liquor Control Commission rules treat special‑event liquor footprints and social‑district (patio) areas as separate licensing regimes; under current rules, alcohol sold under a special‑event license may not be carried outside that designated event area. The council asked staff to continue to research whether LCC or council action could permit limited intermingling in future events.

On another contested point, the draft had proposed that parades, races or walks require a petition with at least 51% of residents and businesses on a route to sign in support. Council members and several event organizers said that bar would be burdensome. Staff suggested an alternative—allowing organizers to pay a city fee to have the city notify affected properties by mail—so affected residents receive official notices without requiring volunteer signature drives.

Councilmember Greg (motion maker) moved an amendment that set the waiver timeline to the special events committee’s final scheduled meeting; the motion to amend carried. Council then voted to approve the amended special events policy and directed staff to return the final, manager‑approved document to council. The motion passed on a roll call; supporting votes were recorded from Councilmembers Johnson, Mikulski, Kelly, Polica and Leaksmae and others present.

City staff said the policy will be finalized with municipal language clarifications before it is published and applied to future permitting cycles. Staff also said the policy rollout would include a clearer checklist identifying which items are mandatory (statutory or health/safety requirements) and which are recommended best practices.

Council members and staff said they expect the special events committee to continue working with recurring organizers—such as Ferndale Pride and other long‑running festivals—to identify reasonable, documented waivers during the committee review so those exceptions are transparent to council when event permits reach the dais.

The council’s action does not immediately change existing event permits; staff told council any substantive operational changes would be implemented with notice to event producers and, where appropriate, staged to the next event season.