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University Heights council tightens parade and event permit rules after safety review
Summary
Council amended the city's parade-and-events permitting ordinance to make the public-safety director the decisionmaker, set filing deadlines, exempt certain nonprofits and schools from fees and shorten the administration's required response window to 15 business days after discussion with police and fire.
University Heights City Council on May 5 amended the city's parade-and-events ordinance to make the director of public safety the decisionmaker on permits, set clearer filing deadlines, and adjust appeal and review procedures after weeks of staff and council discussion.
Council members said the change clarifies responsibilities and responds to concerns raised by police and fire leaders about planning time and staffing. The ordinance amendment, introduced as ordinance 2025-04 to amend section 412.06 of the traffic code, was passed with emergency language after an extended debate on deadlines and resources.
Council vice mayor Brian King said the ordinance makes the process 'clearer and more robust'. Law Director Brian Bridal confirmed the planning commission recommended passage. The amended text makes the director of public safety the official to approve or deny permits and preserves a right to appeal to county court, not back to council.
Chief Rogers and Chief Perko told council that planning and logistics for public-safety coverage on a route are 'similar regardless of the amount of people,' and that a short administrative deadline can leave insufficient time to coordinate inspections, food-truck approvals and union staffing. Chief Rogers said the city had negotiated an administrative procedure with police union representatives to post extra security shifts 30 days before events so officers are not repeatedly ordered on short notice.
After discussion, council members agreed to delete a sentence that had allowed a shorter 30-day filing period for events of 25 people or fewer and to replace a previously written 10-day administrative decision requirement with a 15-business-day deadline for the city to act on an application. Council also left in a clause allowing the director of public safety discretion to approve short-notice events for local, state or national incidents if the city can provide required resources.
The fee structure in the ordinance as amended retains exemptions for nonprofit organizations, University Heights public and private schools, parent-teacher organizations and colleges and universities based in University Heights; other organizations face a maximum fee of $1,500. The ordinance also requires proof of liability insurance as part of permit applications.
Council members emphasized that the 60-day filing window the administration recommended remains the standard for many events, giving departments time to review routes, safety plans and staffing. Vice Mayor King said the 15-business-day response deadline aims to prevent applications from languishing on staff desks while still allowing the departments time to provide substantive review.
The ordinance was adopted after a roll-call vote in which all present members voted yes.
