Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Safety Events topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Sunnyside council to cover Cinco de Mayo security; staff to check LTAC and legal options
Summary
Council members agreed to have the city cover event security for the Cinco de Mayo festival while staff consult legal counsel about using LTAC funds or police overtime for reimbursement; no final funding decision was made at the study session.
Sunnyside councilors on April 7 told staff to plan for the city to cover security costs for the city's Cinco de Mayo festival and to check whether those costs can be reimbursed through the city's Lodging, Tourism and Arts (LTAC) funds or other legal mechanisms.
City Manager Mike Gonzales and public-safety officials said the city historically has paid law-enforcement costs for the event, a practice that has continued after a past shooting prompted tighter security. Councilors estimated the security burden in recent years has run roughly $30,000. Councilor Galvan and others said it is late in the planning cycle to require the Rotary or an outside promoter to assume new security costs for the 2025 festival.
Police staff estimated the operation would require roughly 378—02 hours of officer overtime depending on the scope and whether a parade is included; one commander provided a rough overtime-rate estimate in the neighborhood of $70 per hour, but staff said payroll could provide exact per‑hour loaded costs. Council members noted that using police overtime would reduce available overtime capacity for unplanned incidents and that a single major incident could quickly exhaust the overtime budget.
Councilors asked staff to consult with legal counsel about whether LTAC money can be used to reimburse security costs for this event (LTAC supports tourism-related costs) and, if so, what process would be required. Deputy Mayor Galvan and others favored using LTAC or a designated city LTAC allocation to avoid drawing down police overtime reserves. Council directed the city manager to follow up with the city attorney and finance to determine the correct funding and contracting steps and to ensure fairness across other city signature events.
No formal appropriation was made at the study session; council asked staff to return with legal and finance guidance in time to set expectations for event promoters and applicants.
