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Council debates use of city stage at First Friday after faith‑based group’s frequent use; legal and fee questions raised
Summary
A council discussion revealed the city‑owned downtown stage has been used repeatedly by a faith‑based ministry without paying the rental fee required in the city ordinance. City staff and council members asked that future use follow the ordinance and that requests be processed through normal reservation, permitting and payment channels.
City Manager Morton told the council that a stage located on Fifth and Grant used during First Friday had been placed at a council member’s request and that staff had not found a record authorizing its repeated sponsored use.
Councilman Haney said he and other volunteers purchased and used the stage to support downtown First Friday programming and to provide outreach to people experiencing homelessness. “We bought the stage in. So that to me is what the city states was bought and paid for to be used in this city for different events,” Haney said, describing multiple gatherings in which the stage was used to host music and outreach and noting organizers paid for bands, Bibles and other materials.
Parks staff and the city attorney reminded the council that the municipal code establishes a rental and reservation fee for the stage. John (parks director) recited the fee schedule cited in ordinance language: a $500 rental fee for the first 24‑hour period, $150 for each additional 24‑hour period and a $1,000 reservation deposit.
Council members expressed differing views. One council member said the repeated faith‑based use — combined with visible distribution of Bibles and volunteers discussing faith with attendees — created the appearance the city endorsed a religious message, which raised separation‑of‑church‑and‑state concerns and risked alienating some patrons. That council member also pointed to reports of volunteers confronting patrons who had consumed alcohol.
Others defended the outreach and said they had not asked the city for funding, that volunteers purchased and transported the stage, and that the activity drew families downtown and supported restaurants. Several council members said the simple administrative fix was to follow the ordinance for future uses: submit a reservation, pay the required deposit and rental fee when the stage is requested, and process the event through the city’s event permit system.
Ending: Council did not take formal action but instructed staff to follow ordinance rules for stage reservations and to bring any exceptional sponsorship requests to a regular agenda. Members emphasized that city‑owned assets should be reserved through official channels to avoid the appearance of official endorsement and to ensure appropriate permitting and fee payment.
