Public Safety Committee approves Harley's Hustle 5K permit despite staffing cost concerns

The Public Safety Committee voted to approve a special-event permit for the Harley’s Hustle 5K after a Police Department official described the route near the YMCA and the staffing required to secure intersections.

Alder Cleveland moved to approve the permit and the committee chair seconded; the clerk called the roll and the chair announced the motion passed. A Police Department official, speaking for the presentation, said the run follows the same route used previously and "it's like a parade. You gotta bring in a lot of officers just to close off the street for a short period of time." The presenter added that runs are expensive because they require multiple officers to close intersections and manage runner safety.

Committee members questioned the likely cost and the city's fee approach. The presenter stated a spoken estimate of "Probably $1,215,100 dollars roughly," verbatim from the transcript; the presenter also explained that the city adjusted its event fee schedule to recoup a larger percentage of costs while acknowledging full cost recovery is unlikely. The presenter described a "preferred route" fee of $150 and said a non-preferred route fee would be $2.50 as stated in the meeting record.

Alder Coleman, who spoke during the discussion, noted the fee-schedule change was intended to reduce the need for case-by-case negotiation over how many officers are required. The meeting record shows committee members accepted the presentation and approved the permit.

The committee did not vote on any fee changes at this meeting; staff and committee members indicated the city will continue using its updated fee schedule to guide future permit negotiations.