Local festival permit pulled amid concerns over sheriff staffing and open-ended policing costs
Summary
The Windsor Lavender Festival application was withdrawn after the Sheriff's Office recommended 36 officer man-hours and listed officer hourly rates of $39.33–$95.73, producing an uncertain bill the organizer called unaffordable without clearer terms.
Ryan, owner of Windsor Lavender, told the board his Lavender Festival permit was pulled because the Sheriff's Office paperwork left the county event liable for a wide range of possible costs.
"If we sign that document as it sits, it's an open-ended document saying that we could owe the Sheriff's Department between 1,400 uh $15 and $3,446," Ryan said, adding, "I can't sign a document that's open-ended with $2,000 up or $2,000 down not knowing what our events are going to be."
He said the Sheriff's Office had recommended 36 man-hours for the event and included an hourly rate table showing deputies could be billed at widely varying hourly costs. Several board members and other speakers supported Ryan's concern, noting the current permit forms are antiquated and that small nonprofits and businesses struggle with the unpredictability. The county's staff and the Sheriff's Department were asked to follow up and clarify the permit language and cost estimates before the festival is considered for next month.
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