Committee backs city hall special‑event policy that caps days and sets insurance rules

Hendersonville’s General Committee voted Sept. 9 to forward to the Board of Mayor and Aldermen a resolution establishing special‑event policies for City Hall (Resolution 2025‑30‑3). The resolution sets limits on the number of event days per calendar year, clarifies insurance requirements for vendors and allows the parks department’s insurance standards to be used for food vendor coverage where appropriate.

Alderman Rachel Collins, who sponsored the resolution, said the policy responds to recurring requests to use City Hall for farmers markets and other community events and is intended to provide predictable rules for scheduling and insurance. She noted staff and organizers had discussed caps on usage and that the draft policy sets a per‑year limit and per‑month guidance.

“We've had the market,” Collins said, explaining the policy began with requests to host markets at City Hall.

Staff described implementation details at a high level: the draft references a cap of 12 calendar days per year and a guideline of two event days per month as part of the policy language; it also allows a single insurance policy that covers multiple food vendors rather than requiring separate certificates from each vendor.

Committee members expressed general support and moved the resolution forward with a positive recommendation to BOMA for consideration. If BOMA concurs, staff will publish the policy and begin scheduling consistent with the new limits and insurance rules.