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Council debates $25-per-block police fee and alternatives for downtown street closures
Summary
Councilors discussed street-closure requests and whether a proposed roughly $25-per-block police protection fee would unfairly burden small organizers; members suggested routing small events to city parks and agreed to table further action until staff can follow up.
Council members spent substantial time Tuesday discussing street-closure requests for downtown events and whether to require paid police protection. One speaker said a roughly $25-per-block fee could be reasonable for larger events but would be burdensome for smaller organizers, and several members suggested moving small events to city parks such as Marsh's Park or Eagle Park instead of blocking downtown streets.
Lisa (first name only in the transcript) argued that the fee and police staffing costs can hurt small downtown businesses and event directors, saying the city has alternative spaces and citing First Friday as an example of a downtown activity businesses like. Lisa urged organizers of small events to consider other locations until downtown events can accommodate larger crowds.
Board members recognized both perspectives: that police protection is costly and appropriate for larger events, and that smaller events deserve affordable options. The board agreed to table further action and to bring more information back in a future quarter so staff can analyze impacts and potential exceptions for small events.
Next steps: staff to return with additional details and recommendations to guide a street-closure and police-protection fee policy.
