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Event organizers tell Operations Committee new permit fees, rules would jeopardize Pacific festivals
Summary
Representatives of Pacific Partnership told the committee Dec. 12 that proposed special-event guidelines and fees would shift scarce volunteer time and local dollars to outside vendors and could force small nonprofits to stop running longstanding community events.
Val Droge, Pacific Partnership's events coordinator, urged the Operations Committee on Dec. 12 to preserve existing standards for community events rather than adopt new rules that she said would force organizers to pay for outside resources and reduce funds that otherwise support downtown businesses and tourism.
"By enacting these new guidelines, the businesses, residents, and tourists alike will definitely miss the fantastic events that have become tradition to Pacific," Droge said, adding that the partnership has worked closely with city staff and emergency-management personnel for years without major incidents and that volunteers are limited.
Sarah Summers, also speaking for Pacific Partnership, said the group runs fundraisers and downtown promotional events that draw visitors and generate tax revenue. "Adding fees and charging for city services would prevent many of our organizations from being able to continue to hold these events," Summers said. She said the partnership asked city staff to quantify the tax and economic impacts of events but was told there is no way to measure them.
Brian Quick, co-chair of the Civic Car Show, told the committee that requiring event hosts to provide traffic-control services would be burdensome and expensive for small nonprofit organizers. He cited a vendor quote stated in the meeting of $39,100 for equipment (and an additional figure the speaker gave as $67.50 in the same explanation) and said that cost would make it difficult to keep events in Pacific.
Committee members acknowledged the concerns and clarified that the larger special-event permit application and final adoption of any new guidelines are matters for the full board. The committee noted the item responding to Mr. Bergerman's suggestions will continue at the board level, and staff said they will keep working with event organizers on specifics.
The public comments on Dec. 12 will be included in the materials the committee forwards to the board; no formal change to the permit process was adopted at the meeting.
