Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Safety Events topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council Approves $15,000 Trial for July 4 Parade Safety Measures
Summary
Following concerns about larger crowds for summer events, the Enumclaw City Council approved up to $15,000 for the July 4 parade as a trial to fund barricades and additional staffing; council emphasized logistics, downtown parking impacts and a need to coordinate with businesses and public works.
Enumclaw — The City Council on May 26 approved a trial appropriation of up to $15,000 to fund safety measures for the July 4 parade, a change from an initial request that sought $30,000 to cover two parades.
Councilmember Martineau introduced a funding proposal after a staff meeting with the Chamber, event planners and police that flagged capacity constraints for law enforcement and harder-to-secure trained security personnel during a busy summer calendar. Martineau described the request as "a minimum professional safety infrastructure" and asked council to provide funding for barricades and staffing.
Staff said rental quotes for aluminum barricades were budgeted at roughly $16,000 but fell after applying government pricing; the city was given an initial estimate of about 4,000 linear feet of panels for the parade route. Staff noted rentals would require staging and several days to deploy and remove and that rented equipment could require city staff time for movement and storage. Plastic barricade options were discussed as a potentially less expensive, more deployable alternative.
After discussion about logistics and impacts to downtown businesses, Councilmember (speaker 3) moved to amend the original motion to appropriate up to $15,000 for the July 4 parade on a trial basis for additional security measures as determined by administration, the police department and the Chamber of Commerce. The amendment was seconded, passed, and the amended motion passed on a 5–1 vote.
Council members asked staff to coordinate deployment plans with businesses and to return after the trial to report outcomes and any recommendations for December or future parades.
