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HomeMy WebLinkAbout12-39 JANUARY 24, 2012 12-39 RESOLUTION (CARRIED_______LOST__2-4_____LAID OVER________WITHDRAWN________) PURPOSE: APPROVAL OF WAIVER OF FEES FOR EXTRAORDINARY SERVICES FOR SPECIAL EVENT / OSHKOSH SATURDAY FARMERS MARKET / JUNE 2, 2012 THROUGH OCTOBER 20, 2012 every Saturday ($2,340.00) INITIATED BY: CITY ADMINISTRATION NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Common Council of the City of Oshkosh that the request for waiver of fees for extraordinary services for Oshkosh Saturday Farmers Market (Dennis Leatherman) from June 2, 2012 through October 20, 2012 (every Saturday) is hereby approved. Cost Estimates for Extraordinary Services Electrical Division – Electrical / power usage - $210 / preliminary estimate Fuse replacement / upgrades - $450 / preliminary estimate Street Department Barricades / Signs per event (21 events) - $1680 / preliminary estimate OSHKOSH SATURDAY FAKERS MARKET INC 2012 400 & 500 Blocks of North Main Street, Oshkosh, Wisconsin Request for Waiver of Extraordinary Fees for Special Events We request that the Common Council and /or the Manager of the City of Oshkosh grant a waiver of any extraordinary fees accrued by City of Oshkosh Departments in permitting the Oshkosh Saturday Farmers Market Inc. to operate its Summer Market in the 400 & 500 Blocks of North Main St. for 21 weeks, from June 2, 2012 through October 20, 2012. If the waiver is granted we will continue to list the City of Oshkosh as a Major Sponsor of the event. ennis L, Leatherman Manager, Oshkosh Saturday Farmers Market Inc 920 -426 -1821 dlkbleathermaa@sbcgtvbaLnel 518 W, Gruenwald Ave Oshkosh, Wi 54901 -2235 JAN 1 2 2of2 '� �f i www. OshkoshSaturdayFannersMarket .com CITY HALL 215 Church Avenue A.O. Box 113o Oshkosh. Wisconsin 64303 -1130 — OfHKQlH City of Oshkosh MEMORANDUM Date: January 19, 2012 To: Mayor & City Council From: Mark A. Rohloff, City Manager �Ie_ Subject: WAIVER OF SPECIAL EVENT FEES FOR FARMERS MARKET In February, 2011, Council approved a Waiver of fees associated With the Farmers Market having their special event moved from the City Hall parking lot to Main Street. I am attaching the Council memo I provided in February, 2011, for tine Council's review. You may recall that at the time, there Was a great deal of uncertainty over the success of moving the Farmers Market to Main Street. It was also noted that the major costs for this special event were associated with providing barricades for the Farmers Market to block off traffic that may try to enter Main Street during the event. Barricades had not been necessary When the Market used the City Hall parking lot. Because the city now has these expenses associated with the Farmers Market, I had recommended that the Council waive the cost of this provision of the barricades for 2011. Karlene and Dennis Leatherman, Managers of the Farmers Market, have requested that the Council waive these extraordinary expenses for the 2012 Farmers Market, In Mr. Leatherman's memo, he is offering to list the city as a sponsor of the event, as tine)' do for many other groups that provide financial or in -kind services to support the event. While f commend Mr. & Mrs. Leathernnan's initiative and willingness to move the Farmers Market, and be successful in doing so, I did, in fact, recommend that the fees be waived for only one year. Part of the reason for my recommendation was to give them the opportunity to be successful at their new location, Which included absorbing tine cost of barricades that were a new cost they would have to incur. Now that we know how successful the Farmers \+larket has been, and knowing the mmnber of vendors at the Market far exceeds what we had at City Mall, I believe that it is both appropriate and necessary to charge the Leathermans for these special event costs. It should be noted that our flat rate of $5.00 per barricade assumes that Public Works drops off and picks up the barricades oil regular work days (in this case, Friday and Monday). The downtown businesses request that barricades be removed immediately on Saturday, which adds to the costs to bring in employees on overtime to pick rip the barricades. Should the Council wish to formally be a "sponsor" of the event, Council may wish to direct staff to provide some direct financial support for it. However, in order to maintain consistency within the special event policy, I recommend that the Council continue to charge a fee to the Farmers Market. This does not take away my admiration and appreciation to the Leathermans and all of the volunteers associated with the Farmers Market for the outstanding job they've done to make this a successful event for the downtown area. Should the Council wish to waive this fee in recognition of the value that this event brings to the downtown, the Special Event Policy does allow the Council to Waive extraordinary costs if the special event's benefit to the quality of life to the city as a whole can be recognized. There is certainly an argument that this event provides a great deal of benefit to the community as a whole, Should Council wish to waive this fee, I would think that this would be the appropriate reason to grant a waiver. AlIAR /jdc Cc: Karlene & Dennis Leatherman Attachment o� CITY HALL 215 Church Avenue P.O. Box 1130 pshkos 54903-1130 City of Oshkosh (0— MEMORANDUM OfHKQfH Date: February 18, 2011 To: Mayor & City Council From: Mark A. Rohloff, City Manager Subject: WAIVER OF SPECIAL EVENT FEES FOR SAWDUST DAYS & FARMERS` MARKET Background Last year, the Common Council passed the Special Events Ordinance, which was proposed, in part, to address concerns that had been raised relative to the cost of special events and whether the costs for special events should be paid by the event organizer, or by the taxpayers, or by both the organizer and the taxpayers. The ordinance states that event organizers are responsible for the costs of extraordinary services to support their event. However, the ordinance does provide a method for event organizers to petition the Council to have the city costs for providing extraordinary services waived. In contemplating these requests, the Council may consider any relevant criteria in a given case, but the ordinance does list the following 10 specific criteria that the Council should consider when reviewing a request to waive extraordinary costs: 1. The Special Event's benefit to the quality of life to the city as a whole; 2. The Special Event's financial benefit to the city as a whole; 3. The Special Event is of interest to a smaller segment of the city's population, which the city seeks to encourage; 4. The tradition of the event in the city; 5. The cultural and/or historical significance of the Special Event; 6. Whether or not the Special Event provides services or functions that are traditionally organized or sponsored by other cities or governments; 7. Whether or not the Special Event organizers are making good faith efforts to minimize adverse effects on the health, safety, and welfare of the community and as a result minimizing the need for city employee involvement; 8. The effect of the Special Events on the neighborhood(s) surrounding the site of the event; 9. The financial burden the Special Event places on the city's taxpayers as a whole; 10. The financial condition of the event organizer(s). two Mayor & City Council February 18, 2011 Page 2 Two event organizers have submitted requests to have the extraordinary costs associated with their events waived. The Saturday Farmer's Market is requesting a waiver of the costs of supplying barricades for their weekly Farmer's Market at their new location in the city's downtown. Sawdust Days is requesting a partial waiver of costs related to their annual Sawdust Days event for police services and barricades. Analysis As noted with previous waiver requests, the city previously had provided barricades and cones upon request of event organizers, when available, without charge. Tighter municipal budgets and the costs associated with supplying these items have resulted in staff typically recommending the denial of similar waiver requests. However, for these two events, I am recommending that the Council approve the waiver requests for the following reasons. The Downtown Farmer's Market is relocating from the City Hall parking lot to the 400 and 500 blocks of Main Street at the request of the city. Church Avenue is scheduled for reconstruction this year and therefore the Market cannot use its traditional space. Barricades were not necessary when the Market used the City Hall parking lot. The Farmer's Market will now have expenses associated with advertising the relocation of the market and has worked cooperatively with the city's BID organization both in the relocation of the market and the advertising. The event is a free community -wide event and will provide an opportunity to showcase the downtown area in particular. Based upon all of these considerations, I am recommending that the Council waive the costs for provision of the barricades for this year. Sawdust Days is the city's traditional 4th of July Celebration. Sawdust Days itself is a free admission, community -wide, event and includes the 4th of July parade and fireworks. The Sawdust Days celebration has a long, 40 -year, tradition in the City of Oshkosh. The Sawdust Days organization works with many of the city's non - profit organizations to provide them with the opportunity to raise funds which in turn help support the community as a whole. Over the years, the Sawdust Days organization itself has contributed to park improvements which have, in turn, been used by the city and other users of the park. The Sawdust Days organization is seeking only a partial waiver of the extraordinary expenses associated with their event. Sawdust Days has reimbursed the city in the past for extraordinary costs related to parks department employees who assist in the set -up and tear -down of their event and for utility costs associated with their event. The organization is not a waiver for those costs this year. Mayor & City Council February 18, 2011 Page 3 The only costs that the Sawdust Days organization has requested a waiver for are the costs for the extraordinary costs of the Police Department and the Street Department. These costs consist of overtime police officers and costs for the provision of barricades by the street department. The Police Department has worked with. the event to use on -duty officers whenever possible and to minimize the costs for officers on overtime. The city had previously provided barricades at no cost to Sawdust Days, or any other event organizers. Because the Sawdust Days celebration is the traditional 4 I of July celebration, which includes a parade and fireworks show at no cost to the citizens of Oshkosh; and because of the long- standing cooperative effort between the Sawdust Days event organizers and the city; and the organization's efforts to provide improvements to the city's parks facilities, I am recommending that the Council waive the fees for extraordinary services related to the provision of police services and barricades for the Sawdust Days celebration. MAR /jdc