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Parks director seeks public hearing to cut special-event fee, allow business use of parks
Summary
Parks & Recreation Director Shawn Fredrickson asked the council to schedule a public hearing on June 3 to amend the Special Events Ordinance to allow business use in parks and to reduce the special-event fee from $100 to $25; the record showed one proponent and no opponents for the hearing as scheduled.
Shawn Fredrickson, Butte-Silver Bow Parks & Recreation Director, asked the council to schedule a public hearing to amend the Special Events Ordinance so parks can be used for business activities such as fitness classes, vendors, sporting events and races. Fredrickson also proposed reducing the special-event application fee from $100 to $25.
The agenda record for Communication 2026-270 lists one proponent and no opponents for the proposed changes. The council scheduled the public hearing as requested. Fredrickson framed the change as broadening permitted uses of parks and lowering a stated barrier-to-entry fee for event organizers.
Why it matters: lowering the fee and explicitly allowing business-related uses could increase events in parks and shift permitting workload to Parks & Recreation. The council will hear public testimony at the scheduled hearing before any ordinance text is adopted.
Provenance: the request appears in the meeting agenda under Communication 2026-270; the agenda quoted the proposed fee change and usage expansion. The public record attached to the agenda counted one proponent and zero opponents.
