Brighton City Council approved revisions to the city's civic event policy and application on Nov. 25 after staff presented updates aimed at clarifying approval criteria and reflecting street‑scapes and ordinance changes.

Assistant to the DPS Director Patty Thomas summarized the changes: the priority and approval factors were clarified, the 2019 tiered fee schedule was removed in favor of a single $50 fee, liability insurance minimums were increased, exempt events from the original policy were reinstated, right‑of‑way sign language was updated to align with a recent ordinance change, and a policy acknowledgement page was added for applicants to sign.

Council members raised operational questions about event layouts downtown — whether vendor tents should be placed in the street versus storefront side to ease pedestrian flow and to maintain emergency access for fire apparatus. Thomas said event coordinators and BAFTA prioritize emergency‑vehicle access and that organizers historically have resisted placing vendor rows back‑to‑back in the center of Main Street. Several council members suggested exploring alternative layouts to help merchants and pedestrian circulation.

Motion: Council member Albert moved to approve the revised civic event policy and application; the motion was seconded and passed by voice vote.

Next steps: staff will communicate the revised policy to event organizers and BAFTA and continue to evaluate event layouts and safety in consultation with the fire authority and event coordinators.