Westchester committee to draft simplified criteria for special-event fee assistance, considers parking revenue share

Westchester's Administration, Communication & Technology Committee on Sept. 9 agreed to simplify proposed criteria for providing borough assistance or discounted fees to externally organized special events and to prepare a draft policy for discussion at a forthcoming work session.

The item centers on whether and when the borough should provide services or financial support — such as police, public works or parking concessions — to events run by outside nonprofits or businesses, and how to set objective eligibility criteria.

"I did reach out to my colleagues ... I was under the assumption at this point that we would table this item indefinitely because we weren't really reaching much of an agreement where we would go," Committee Chair Brian Travis said, before urging the group to use an existing municipal example as a starting point. "There's a long list of criteria. This is just an example possibly to use as a proxy for this discussion."

Travis said he and staff reviewed a 15‑point list used by Wilmington, North Carolina, and proposed a shorter checklist for Westchester that would include items such as municipal recognition for the event, nonprofit or licensed-business status, an event overview, demonstrable benefit to the borough, an event budget and the share of spending that would occur inside borough limits. He also said organizers should show the event would be open to the public.

A separate committee speaker raised adding financial‑management controls. "Applicants must demonstrate strong financial management and effective controls, including cost effectiveness," that speaker said; the committee member added they would be "amenable to adding that one."

Committee discussion repeatedly returned to parking revenue as a potential funding source. One committee member who monitors parking policy said splitting newly generated parking-garage revenue with event organizers would be a simpler alternative to building a complex schedule of grants. "Let's split the parking garage revenue," the member said, noting Sundays are currently free and a revenue share could be implemented without immediate net loss to the borough.

Mayor Lillian de Baptiste, speaking during public comment, cautioned the committee not to commit to funding before the borough's budget outlook is clearer. "Before you start talking about what we're going to support or not, we really need to look at the budget," she said, warning of a potential shortfall next year and urging caution about using parking revenue.

The committee did not adopt a formal policy at the meeting. Chair Travis said his next step will be to simplify the draft criteria based on the discussion and circulate a document for a work‑session review. "So we'll have a document ready to discuss this item," he said.

Pending items identified by the committee include a) a short list of objective criteria adapted from the Wilmington example, b) whether applicants must demonstrate financial controls, c) a recommendation on using parking revenue sharing as the principal funding source, and d) a draft that staff and the committee will review in work session. The committee did not take a formal vote to adopt a funding schedule or to commit parking revenue; those decisions were left for future deliberation.

The chili cook‑off scheduled for this Sunday and the annual Christmas parade were cited as examples of events that might seek assistance under any final policy.

Next steps: committee staff will produce a simplified draft of eligibility criteria and options for funding (including a parking revenue‑share model) for review at an upcoming work session.