City staff presented proposed updates to the temporary event permitting process and the noise ordinance Nov. 6 and council voted to initiate a municipal code amendment process.

Planner Rob Gonzales described a three-tiered approach:
- Tier 1: Small gatherings (90 people or fewer) that meet defined standards would require no permit;
- Tier 2: Medium events (91 to 250 people) would require an administrative or site-development-level permit similar to existing practice;
- Tier 3: Events greater than 250 people would trigger more extensive review and coordination (public safety, engineering, environmental health, fire).

Staff proposed scaled fees and deposits, exemptions for small noncommercial events, automatic coordination triggers for larger events and a repeat-violator permit-denial framework (for example, a 12-month cool-off period for hosts who repeatedly violate permit conditions). The staff presentation also recommended retaining numerical decibel limits in the noise ordinance, maintaining quiet hours and adding an additional hour for weekend evenings.

Council direction and questions from the Nov. 6 meeting included:
- Define "weekend" for the additional allowable hour as Friday and Saturday nights; Sunday would count only if Monday is a declared city holiday;
- Ask the Riverside County Sheriff's Office to provide complaint and response-data so staff can calibrate decibel thresholds and enforcement needs; several councilmembers asked staff to verify whether proposed decibel numbers would effectively discourage nuisance noise without generating frivolous complaints (for example, a vacuum or everyday conversation);
- Consider a predictable, fixed-fee approach rather than a deposit-based, billable-hours approach so smaller events are not disproportionately burdened by application costs;
- Include a permit condition framework so permitted events that later generate legitimate decibel violations can be addressed quickly; council asked staff to provide clarity on how law enforcement will be notified when permitted events are underway.

Council voted 4-1 to direct staff to prepare the municipal code amendment and bring a formal ordinance back for public review and adoption. The vote included direction on defining weekend hours as noted above and to coordinate with the Sheriff's Department on data and enforcement protocols.

Clarifying details:
- The tier thresholds are staff proposals and may be adjusted; council asked staff to refine them with sheriff data and further community discussion.
- Staff intends to propose concrete, enforceable permit conditions and a repeat-violator policy to prevent recurring nuisance uses.

Next steps: staff will prepare draft municipal code amendments incorporating council direction, request sheriff data on noise complaints, and return with a formal ordinance and public hearing schedule.