Oshkosh council approves city sponsorship for June community pride event over objections about fee waivers

The Oshkosh Common Council on March 11 approved city co-sponsorship of the Oshkosh Bridal event scheduled for June 29, 2025, by a 5-2 vote after more than an hour of discussion about fee waivers and the role of advisory committees.

Council members debated whether the city should waive the roughly $500 event fee for a small nonprofit that requested sponsorship. Council Member Paul Quon said the concern was not the event itself but the precedent: “So it’s not about the nature of this event. . . . For me, it’s about a mission creep of government thing,” and added, “So I will not be supporting this at this time.”

The measure drew support from council members who said the co-sponsorship suited the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Committee’s charter to educate the public and sponsor events. Council Member Nichols said the city’s events ordinance “does not cover these types of activities” and described the sponsorship as a way to help a small nonprofit host a community event that otherwise “would not happen in a place like Oshkosh.” Deputy Mayor Bulow and Council Members Larson and Stevenson said the event brings community together and that the DEI committee had recommended the sponsorship.

Councilman Ressler pressed staff on revenue implications and precedent, asking whether larger events could seek similar waivers; staff replied that the city treats requests similarly but that decisions have gone through different routes depending on the event. Staff member Ray (parks/boat launches/events staff) told the council event fees are sometimes collected at pay stations and that season-pass customers receive receipts that must be exchanged for stickers at the parks office; for enforcement staff generally issue a warning before a first ticket.

The roll call on resolution 25-103 recorded Bulow, Stevenson, Nichols, Larson and Mugebauer as voting aye and Eslinger and Flom as voting no; the motion carried 5-2. Council discussion also included requests that staff clarify a process and policy for fee waivers so the city can distinguish between profit-generating events (e.g., WaterFest) and small nonprofit community events.

Why it matters: The decision allows the nonprofit to use city sponsorship for the June event while raising questions about when the city should waive fees and how those exceptions should be reviewed. Council members urged staff to return with clearer guidance on which events qualify for fee waivers and what process departments and committees should follow.

The council did not direct staff to adopt a single uniform policy at the meeting; rather, several members asked staff to review options and return with recommendations on how fee waivers and co-sponsorship requests should be handled going forward.