Jeff Orest, assistant senior manager in Delray Beach's events/parks area, presented a staff proposal that would allow limited waivers of city soft costs for small special events produced by local nonprofits.

The proposal would waive the second 50% of city "soft" costs not covered by the existing automatic waiver, with a recommended cap of $2,000 per event and suggested program budgeting at $10,000 to $15,000 per year. Orest said hard costs (for example, rented barricades or equipment) would not be eligible for waivers and that recipients must qualify as nonprofits based in Delray Beach and must demonstrate that a majority of beneficiaries or attendees are Delray Beach residents.

Why it matters: commissioners said the change aims to help neighborhood-scale nonprofit events that rely on city labor and staff support, rather than large fundraisers or beach runs that place different demands on city services. Commissioners discussed whether to limit the amount an individual nonprofit could receive per year (several suggested a per-nonprofit cap of $5,000), and whether requests should come to the full commission or be approved administratively.

Process and oversight: under the draft approach Orest described, nonprofits would apply at the time of their special-event application; DSMG (the Development Services/Management Group) would review the request and forward staff recommendations to the commission for final approval. Commissioners asked staff to consider whether a quarterly or monthly report could be produced so the commission could monitor program use without reviewing every item at a public meeting.

Commission direction: by consensus the commission approved moving forward with a program design that caps per-event waivers at $2,000 and asked staff to return with proposed annual budget options (staff suggested starting at $10,000) and formal policy language, including proposed per-nonprofit annual ceilings and how many events per nonprofit would be eligible. Commissioners also confirmed each waiver request would be vetted by staff and brought forward with DSMG recommendations.

Ending: staff will draft a formal policy and budget request for the commission to consider in the coming weeks; the program would be first-come, first-served within any annual budget cap and would include reporting requirements if the commission opts not to hear each request individually.