Committee recommends three‑year Batcove Music Festival contract to council after added protections; one dissent

Portland’s special committee on events and parks voted Tuesday night to recommend a three‑year contract with the promoters of the Batcove Music Festival to the full City Council after staff negotiated several changes requested by the committee.

Ethan Hippel, director of parks, recreation and facilities, told the committee the promoters agreed to raise the noise deposit from $1,000 to $5,000 and accept a non‑transferability clause that requires city council approval before the agreement can be reassigned. "Now that's been bumped up to $5,000 which they agreed to," Hippel said, describing additional language that keeps key decisions in the council’s authority.

The agreement keeps an escalated per‑ticket fee that begins at $1.50 per ticket, rising to $2.00 in later contract years, and requires promoters to hold two neighborhood meetings annually — one within 60 days before the festival and a debrief within 90 days after. Promoters also agreed to provide attendance and financial records to the city’s office of corporation counsel to verify per‑ticket payments, though portions may be marked proprietary and confidential.

Councilor Sykes voiced strong reservations about the level of transparency the city will be able to verify. "So I'm not satisfied with right now with the contract and I will not be voting, to pass this forward," she said, arguing the city needs clearer information on how many tickets were comped, bundled or discounted so the per‑ticket fee can be audited precisely.

Promoters and staff said last year’s event sold just over 14,000 unique tickets across single‑ and multi‑day passes. Hippel described shuttle routing and other logistics as part of a comprehensive transportation plan that included bike parking and free transit rides for some services; he said route choices reflected safety barricades and coordination with police and fire. "We’re going to continue to evaluate that with the promoters," Hippel said, noting promoters had addressed several on‑site issues during the previous festival.

Corporation counsel Michael Boltman told the committee that the council cannot readily amend a negotiated contract on the floor during a council meeting because another party — the promoters — would need to agree to changes. He described the usual options as approving the agreement as presented, rejecting it, or returning it to staff for further negotiation.

The motion to recommend the agreement as drafted was moved by Councilor Regina Phillips and seconded by Councilor Sarah McNovich. The roll call recorded Councilor Sykes voting no and the other members voting yes; the committee’s recommendation will go to the full council for final action.

The committee adjourned and will next meet to consider other council proposals and a separate moratorium matter. The full council will be the forum for additional public comment and any formal amendments to the agreement.