Council discusses Monona Community Festival facility-use agreement; staff, festival committee to finalize details

City officials and members of the Monona Community Festival committee on March 17 discussed a proposed facility-use agreement that would spell out operational responsibilities, fees and logistics for this year’s festival. The item, Resolution 25-3-2790, was presented by Parks staff and the festival’s new board president, Brian Henry.

Why it matters: The festival is a long-standing community event. The proposed agreement replaces a previous ‘‘handshake’’ arrangement and clarifies responsibilities for permits, public-safety staffing, equipment storage and potential tourism-fund conditions.

What was discussed - Staff and festival leaders said the agreement is the product of several years of discussions and is meant to document responsibilities for dates, times, site layout, permit deadlines and which party pays for police, fire and public-works staffing. - The packet shows a line-item estimate of $19,587.50 that staff’s departments (police, fire, public works, parks and the city clerk) calculated as the festival’s fee for city services. Parks staff said those numbers are based on estimated overtime and prior events; festival organizers said a fixed estimate helps their 501(c)(3) nonprofit budget. - Public Works storage: the festival has used a Public Works storage shed (which festival volunteers previously paid to construct). Staff and the festival agreed to continue working on a plan to identify and, if needed, transition storage arrangements. Public Works staff estimate a storage-related cost shown in the packet (listed as $4,327); staff said they would confirm whether that number reflected labor only or labor and equipment movement both ways. - Permits and delivery timing: Festival staff requested that festival equipment stored at Public Works be delivered to the festival grounds on or before Monday, June 30 to accommodate a volunteer setup day; staff agreed to include a firm date in the final agreement or allow “on or before June 30” language to give flexibility. - Hours and operations: The proposed carnival hours were discussed; staff and public safety recommended limiting carnival hours (one example listed 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on main days, with an earlier start and earlier end on certain days). The committee and festival organizers discussed a 3-day event model and a one-time setup day. - Tourism funds: Festival organizers confirmed they have applied for tourism funding; staff noted that if tourism funds are awarded the festival would need to comply with those grant terms.

Festival committee remarks Brian Henry, newly elected board president of the Monona Community Festival, said the committee intends to be a collaborative partner with the city. Henry said the budget estimate is helpful for planning: “we budget for a certain amount,” he said, and having the city’s estimate aids sponsorship and program decisions.

Council direction and next steps Councilmembers and staff discussed two ways to structure the fee: a fixed amount the festival would pay up front (the packet number was $19,587.50) or an estimate plus post-event accounting and invoicing if city costs exceed the estimate. Several councilmembers favored a fixed amount for the first year to allow the nonprofit to budget, while staff noted the estimate derives from prior years’ overtime calculations.

No final vote was taken. Mayor O'Connor said the item will return to the council in three weeks with updated language and clarified dates and contacts; staff will provide a revised agreement for formal approval at that meeting.

Meeting context: The Parks and Recreation Board recommended approval; staff and festival committee representatives worked through outstanding items at the council meeting and agreed to return with a final draft incorporating clarified dates, contact names and storage language.