Council opens hearing on special-events ordinance changes to allow vendor sales, sporting events and a lower application fee

The Butte-Silver Bow Council opened a public hearing June 3 on proposed amendments to its special-events ordinance that would explicitly allow business activities in parks, add sporting events and races to the permitting framework, and lower the special-event application fee from $100 to $25.

Sean Frederickson, Parks and Recreation director, told commissioners the ordinance—first adopted in 2010 and amended in 2015—would add a set of business uses to Section 5: “fitness classes, guided tours, recreational services, videography and sales and promotional events,” and would add a Section 6 covering sporting events including tournaments and races that may require traffic-management plans. On fees, Frederickson said the department historically never collected the $100 application fee because it proved a barrier to applicants; the proposal is to set a $25 non-refundable application fee for all applicants, for-profit and nonprofit alike. “We would like to reduce that to $25 application fee, which aligns with other parks departments across the state,” Frederickson said.

Frederickson also described a proposed change for the venue referred to in the packet as “the Original”: instead of a single flat weekend fee, the parks board would set fees by event type so revenue better covers cleaning, restroom maintenance and other event costs. He said nonprofits would remain eligible for exemptions under the proposed structure and that any specific fee schedule would be approved by the Parks and Recreation Board.

Commissioners pressed for operational detail. Commissioner Thatcher asked whether vendors who sell under an established festival umbrella would be governed by the festival’s vendor structure; Frederickson said yes, established festivals (for example, Folk Fest) typically handle their own vendor processes, but ad-hoc vendors—“an ice-cream vendor next to the splash pad,” he said—would now go through the parks permitting process so the department can manage encroachment and preserve park use. Commissioner Oly asked whether $25 covered administrative costs; Frederickson said the department compared peer agencies and believes $25 is appropriate for application processing. Commissioner Larry asked how parks are prioritized; Frederickson said recurring major events are blocked on the calendar and get priority while single events are handled first-come, first-served subject to calendar blocks.

Two members of the public spoke during the hearing. A commenter listing an address at 2000 Roberts Avenue told the council the revised rules “seem pretty straightforward” and welcomed the lower fee as a way to increase participation. No opponents spoke and Chairman Morgan closed the hearing.

No ordinance amendment was adopted at the meeting; the hearing was held and public input recorded for further action by the council and the Parks and Recreation Board.

The council will take next procedural steps once staff returns a recommended ordinance draft and any proposed fee schedule for board approval.