The Common Council of the City of South Bend on Jan. 12 approved Ordinance 78-25 to increase the amount of South Bend police officer time included as an absorbed expense for special events from 40 to 48 hours.

Michael Schmidt, assistant city attorney, told the Committee of the Whole the change ‘‘permits about 2 additional officers for 4 hours of time’’ for special events and estimated the additional in‑kind cost to the city at about $617.20 based on overtime rates. He said the amendment is intended to help smaller nonprofit events — parades, races and community festivals — continue operating.

Schmidt emphasized that the change ‘‘is not applicable for…tier 1 events’’ and does not apply to demonstrations or protests, which follow a separate permitting process that typically does not carry these fees. When council members raised emails and public concerns suggesting the change might create new fees or restrict speech, legal staff repeatedly described the proposal as content neutral and said it ‘‘does not raise constitutional problems.’’

The Committee of the Whole voted to send the bill to the full council with a favorable recommendation; at third reading the council recorded a roll-call vote of nine ayes and the ordinance passed.

The ordinance now becomes city law as approved by the council; councilors said the change is designed to make it easier for small community organizers to stage events without incurring prohibitive costs for officer coverage.