Events team rolls out on-site donations system; board raises lighting, parking and safety concerns
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Summary
Events staff described a three-step POS donation process for event fundraising and said event online ticketing reduced on-site cash handling; the board also debriefed December event logistics and asked staff to return with camera and parking options after members raised safety and lighting concerns.
Events staff outlined a new on-site donation workflow and the board discussed volunteer logistics, lighting problems and park safety at the meeting.
Jocelyn Avina, community events manager, described a three-part donation process using the department’s ActiveNet system and a credit-card reader at events. She said staff will provide a laptop and card reader at events, allow donations of any amount through a "youth scholarship" button in POS, accept tap payments and reconcile transactions after each event. Jocelyn said staff will handle cash reconciliation and generate end-of-night reports for accounting.
Jessica Varada, recreation superintendent, added staff will assign a city employee to handle cash because of internal controls. Board members asked whether donors could tap with phones; Avina confirmed the readers accept Apple Pay and Google Pay and that receipts can be emailed.
The board also reviewed December event operations. Members praised staff coordination but flagged volunteer shift coverage problems, inconsistent signage and missing lighting equipment from a vendor that produced dim or late illumination at some sites. Staff said vendor guarantees allow rapid delivery of replacement light towers when needed and that they will improve guardrails and signage for crowd flow.
Separately, a board member described a park safety incident in which a resident said they were threatened by an individual who produced a knife and used racial slurs; the resident called police but the individual was released because there was limited evidence. The board asked staff to gather crime statistics and present camera options. Staff explained technology constraints: the city prefers internal camera solutions tied to municipal servers, and adding fiber drops and server backhaul for commercial-grade cameras can be costly — staff cited an estimate that a commercial fiber drop can be on the order of $25,000 for a site. Staff said conduits were installed at some parks to reduce future costs and will return with a cost estimate for cameras at the dog park and other high-priority spots.
Staff summarized follow-up items for the February agenda, including a tree audit, Bird City, rose rosette updates, tennis backstop options, a possible board park tour, parking plans for special events, and camera options for the dog park.
The meeting ended after a motion to adjourn passed by voice vote.
