Committee asks licensing and police to brief it before changing policy on city funding for special‑event police details

The Ordinance Committee on May 21 discussed a proposal to specify when the city’s police special‑events fund can be used to pay for police details at community events and whether privately organized events should pay the full cost for added police presence.

The proposed ordinance would bar the special‑events line in the police budget from covering police detail costs for events organized solely by private businesses. Supporters said the policy would protect taxpayers from underwriting private, for‑profit events. Councilor Bacon noted the current budget contains separate line items for parade weekend overtime and special events overtime and that the city’s practice has sometimes left taxpayers paying for overtime at events that were effectively private.

Councilors and staff debated the role of the licensing board and whether licensing approval currently triggers police review. Several members suggested inviting the licensing-board chair and a police representative to explain current processes, including how licensing forms capture expected police needs and how the chief determines final detail requirements.

After discussion the committee voted to table the ordinance-drafting effort and ask staff to invite the licensing board and police department to a future meeting for a joint discussion of permitting, police-safety determinations, and appeals processes.

Ending: Committee voted to pause drafting and to hold a follow‑up meeting with licensing and police staff so members can better understand the operational interaction between permits, policing, and billing before adopting any ordinance restricting the use of the special‑events fund.