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Council discusses formal event fee policy and software to manage permits and waivers
Summary
Councilmembers directed staff to develop a written policy on fee waivers for special events and received a status update on permitting software (GoGov) that staff say could streamline event approvals, interdepartmental workflows and online payments.
Councilmembers on May 6 discussed the city’s informal practice of granting fee waivers for street closures and special events and asked staff to develop formal criteria and publish guidelines in advance of future requests.
Assistant to the city manager Emmett Fried said staff had evaluated several permitting systems and identified GoGov as the most promising for the city’s budget. Fried said the software would allow applicants to create accounts, submit applications, route permits through an automated workflow to relevant departments, and pay fees online. “...the next stage … is we're gonna get some questions from all the departments… and then we're gonna do a follow‑up,” Fried said of the software procurement process.
Councilmembers asked staff to include fee‑waiver criteria as part of a broader special‑events policy that would set insurance, security and fee requirements and clarify when waivers are appropriate. One councilmember said the public expectation that waivers are routinely granted should be addressed by publishing a clear policy and docketing a master community events calendar.
Staff said they are also updating the city’s fee schedule as part of an ongoing fee study, with an initial draft expected by mid‑July, and that part of the GoGov module is already being used for animal control and code enforcement. Councilmembers asked staff to return with a recommended policy and a timeline for any software purchase.
