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Miles City council tables Farmers Market fee waiver, asks staff to revise parks permit policy
Summary
Bernadette Miller, manager of the Miles City Farmers Market, asked the council to waive Riverside Park permit fees. The council unanimously tabled the waiver and directed staff to update the Parks Use/Permits Policy to consider a one-time or flat base event fee for nonprofits.
Bernadette Miller, manager of the Miles City Farmers Market, asked the City Council on Nov. 25 for a waiver of Riverside Park permit fees, saying the market is a nonprofit that uses the park every weekend through summer and fall and “do[es] not have the funds to pay the Park Permit fee.”
Public Works Director Samantha Malenovsky told council the current Parks Use/Permits Policy calculates fees based on attendance thresholds and that events drawing more than 50 people face higher fees. Resident Cody Steiner asked whether a granted waiver for the farmers market would also apply to other events such as the Riverside Car Show. Jeni Losey urged the council to revise the parks policy to establish a flat base rate for events and singled out nonprofit use as a category that could benefit from a clarified fee structure.
Councilmember Ed Pulecio moved to table approval of the fee waiver and to refer the matter to staff to update the Parks Use/Permits Policy; Councilmember Brooke Bartholomew seconded the motion. The motion passed with recorded “Yea” votes from Councilmembers Pulecio, Huber, Kassner, Thomason, Scott and Bartholomew.
Public Works Director Malenovsky said she will follow up with Miller about next steps as staff reviews the policy. The council did not set a new fee level at the meeting and the Farmers Market remains able to reapply or await the policy revision.
