Council backs using multicultural subcommittee to advise city events; staff to present event list for budget input

Councilmembers on Feb. 4 discussed options to improve planning and oversight of city events and agreed staff should engage a focused committee to review events and advise during the budget process.

Robert Diaz, parks and recreation director, described a multicultural subcommittee formed under the Arts & Culture Committee to help plan a Gateway to the Globe event; Diaz said the subcommittee has 8 of the original 13 members and staff had already conducted neighborhood outreach for that event. Diaz outlined two options: (1) expand the multicultural subcommittee’s charge to review events and provide budget guidance, or (2) create a separate events subcommittee that reports to council or to Arts & Culture.

Several council members preferred keeping the work within an Arts & Culture‑linked subcommittee in the near term because creating a new advisory committee requires more lead time for appointments, staffing and operational setup before the budget cycle. Council member Roman asked that membership include representatives from other boards with event experience—specifically multicultural, senior advisory, parks and rec and historical park boards—to broaden perspectives.

Council instructed staff to provide the current list of city events to the subcommittee for review and to return recommendations that can be considered in the upcoming budget. Council emphasized that subcommittees should be mindful of staff capacity and budget constraints when proposing event enhancements.