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Brunswick council pauses overhaul of event application process, approves Smoketown Hootenanny with $200 staffing fee
Summary
At its Jan. 27 meeting the City of Brunswick council voted 5-0 to delay final action on a revised special-events application policy and approved a time-sensitive Smoketown Hootenanny event with a $200 fee to cover Police and Public Works staffing support.
The City of Brunswick Mayor and Council on Jan. 27 voted to continue deliberation on a rewritten special-events application policy and, separately, approved a time-sensitive application for the Smoketown Hootenanny.
Mayor Nathan Brown swore in new Council Member Jerry Bonanno at the start of the meeting. City Administrator Julie Martorana outlined options under consideration to replace the current event-application approach, saying staff had discussed either a flat fee charged per event or an hourly rate based on Police and Public Works needs.
Council members questioned the models and suggested policy language edits. Council Member John Caves moved to continue discussion to the council’s next meeting after staff incorporate the suggested language changes and return a recommendation to assess an hourly rate with a cap; Council Member Andy St. John seconded, and the motion passed, 5-0.
During the Citizens’ Forum five local business and event representatives—Amy Dudrow of Smoketown Brewing, Angel Rivera of Cultura Plenara, Kim Lazaro of 2 East Potomac Street, Kimberly Yourick of Lockhouse Gallery and John Travers of the Eagles Club/Eagles Riders—addressed the council and raised concerns about the special-events application process and the potential impact of fee structures on small local events.
Because the council had not finalized the new policy, members also voted on a time-sensitive application for the Smoketown Hootenanny. Council Member Brian Sandusky moved to approve the application with a $200 application fee to cover required Police and Public Works staff support; Council Member Eric Smothers seconded. The motion passed, 5-0.
Next steps: staff will revise the draft event policy incorporating council language suggestions and return with a formal recommendation on fee structure and any caps at a future meeting.
