Council approves two event dates and debates new special-events rules for Main Street

Council members on March 10 approved dates for two previously postponed downtown events and engaged in an extended discussion about a new special-events ordinance that would change how the city charges for and regulates Main Street closures.

Council voted to allow the Findlay 5K to hold its requested August date (motion moved and passed during the public comment block). Separately, the council amended an earlier postponement of the Southern Knights Cruise-In to grant the group the April 19 date on condition they discuss use of the downtown pavilion with parks staff (the pavilion in the rear parking lot was designated the first option; Main Street would be a backup). The amended motion also set a standard street closure time of 5 p.m. for Main Street events unless the council approves an exception. A caveat in the second motion allowed approval of the Main Street location only if pavilion availability could not be secured.

Those procedural approvals were followed by a lengthy public-comment period and council debate on a proposed special-events ordinance several council members had drafted. The draft ordinance would have created a permitting and deposit framework that: requires an application fee (the draft contained a $75 application fee), establishes deposit levels (the draft as amended referenced $250 for some nonprofit events and $500 for for-profit applicants as a deposit), and makes permittees responsible for any city costs that exceed the deposit (the ordinance text the clerk read stated any costs above the deposit would be billed to the permittee). The draft also included limits: a maximum of two Main Street closure events per month citywide and (in earlier versions) a cap of two Main Street closures per organization per year, plus preferred closure hours after 5 p.m. and before 9 p.m. unless the council approved an exception. Council, tourism staff and applicants clarified that pavilion reservations, and pavilion fees now handled by the tourism commission, would still be routed to Laurie (tourism) but any city services requested for a pavilion event (police, fire, public works) would still come to the council for approval.

Public commenters and several council members voiced concern that charging nonprofit groups for city service costs (police, fire, public works) would discourage charitable events and impose large uncovered bills — city staff provided a list of prior civic event city costs showing several thousand dollars per event in city services for some large festivals. After extended discussion and a motion to introduce the ordinance for first reading, a motion to withdraw that reading and return the item to workshop-style review was made and adopted; councilmembers said they wished to revisit the policy and technical details after additional outreach and clearer cost/recovery options were developed.

Council members and staff emphasized two narrower, immediate outcomes: (1) the two postponed event dates were approved with the pavilion-first approach and a set street-closing start time of 5 p.m.; and (2) the council asked staff to pause formal ordinance action and to return later with more data and a refined policy approach that addresses nonprofit impacts, pavilion use and a clear fee/credit policy.