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Council approves new special-events application requirements for downtown Oakdale
Summary
The council adopted a policy requiring earlier notice, a petition packet and a 90/60/45/30/14-day sequence of steps for special events that close downtown streets or parking lots, aiming to increase transparency for businesses and residents.
The Oakdale City Council on Feb. 18 adopted a policy tightening application and notification requirements for special events that include street or parking-lot closures in a defined downtown area.
Under the new policy, applicants must submit a complete special-event application at least 90 days before the event. At 60 days the city will provide a closure petition packet (event map and list of affected addresses); at 45 days applicants must return the signed petition packet; at 30 days staff will issue final permits and conditions; and at 14 days applicants must distribute a flyer to all businesses and residents in the closure area announcing the event. Events involving amplified sound or city co-sponsorship will require council approval before a permit is issued.
Why it matters: staff and downtown merchants said past practice allowed organizers to present a signature sheet without an event map, leaving some businesses unaware of event details. The policy is targeted to a clearly mapped area of downtown — North First through North Third Avenues and adjacent blocks between E and F streets — and is intended to improve transparency, allow adequate routing to police and fire for safety review, and reduce last-minute surprises for merchants.
City Clerk Colleen (city clerk) told council the process will be applied immediately; staff said they already provided the new petition packet to the organizers of the May morning market, who have started the process. Council members said the policy will require some education for recurring organizers but praised it as more transparent than prior practice. On a roll call vote the council approved the policy 5-0 (Council member Gilbert: yes; Mayor Pro Tem Smith: yes; Council member Potassie: yes; Council member Kettering: yes; Mayor Barrios: yes).
The policy preserves the city’s two-thirds approval threshold for closures but requires that the signatures be gathered using the packet and map the city provides.
