South Ogden pilots online special-events application; staff outline insurance rules, fees and enforcement options

Jeanette, the staff presenter, walked the council through a pilot online application intended to make park and facility reservations easier while protecting the city from liability. "It's a very it's it's a pretty short application. It's just a a little Google form," she said, describing fields for applicant contact information, event type, whether an event is private or public, and conditional prompts for fireworks, vendors, food trucks and traffic impacts.

Jeanette explained that conditional answers trigger additional requirements. "Our insurance will not cover any inflatables, so we've added that here... if their insurance covers it, great," she said, describing how vendors or organizers would need to provide insurance certificates for items the city policy does not cover. Staff noted current fees: Bowery rental $200 for nonresidents, $150 for residents, and a $75 cleanup deposit. Council members asked about availability calendars, parking/layout maps for food trucks, and whether the policy should be codified into ordinance language to create enforceable penalties; staff said the city’s trust guidelines apply and that they could draft an ordinance if the council wants the enforcement 'teeth.'

Staff said the first skate-park rental is scheduled for April 25 and that approved permits will produce a printable permit and optional signage for display during reserved events. Council directed staff to continue piloting the application and to return with proposed policy or ordinance language if stronger enforcement is desired.