Council authorizes up to $15,000 trial for July 4 parade safety measures

The Enumclaw City Council approved up to $15,000 in one-time funding to support additional safety measures for the July 4 parade on a trial basis.

Councilmember Martineau outlined a staffing and barricade plan developed with Enumclaw Police Department, city event-planning staff and the Chamber of Commerce, noting the city's parades have grown and that staffing for security is tight during high-demand events. Martineau said the initial estimate was $15,000 per parade, which would cover approximately $8,000 for temporary barricade rental and the balance for contracted staffing to assist with staging and controlling crowds.

Staff explained renting government-priced barricades was roughly half the initial quote and that the vendor would deploy and retrieve equipment; deployment would take multiple crew-days and could require temporary closure of some parking and streets during setup. Officials also raised business impacts from lost parking and the need to coordinate deployment timing (noting there is a cruise on July 3 that affects staging). Council discussed lower-cost alternatives such as placing barricades at key intersections and adding more staffing rather than deploying a continuous linear fence.

Councilmember (speaker 3) moved to amend the original request to $15,000 for the July 4 parade as a trial; the amendment was seconded and passed. The council then voted to approve the amended motion on a 5–1 voice vote.

The council directed administration and the police department to determine specific measures within that $15,000 cap, coordinate with the Chamber of Commerce and report results and recommendations after the trial deployment.