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HomeMy WebLinkAbout48. 12-217 APRIL 24, 2012 12-217 RESOLUTION (CARRIED___7-0____LOST_______LAID OVER________WITHDRAWN________) PURPOSE: APPROVAL OF WAIVER OF FEES FOR EXTRAORDINARY SERVICES FOR SPECIAL EVENT / OSHKOSH SAWDUST DAYS / JULY 3, 4, 5, 6 & 7, 2012 (estimated $18,500 - $22,500) 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 Sawdust Days, Inc. (Ellen Schmidt) on July 3, 4, 5, 6 & 7, 2012 is hereby approved. Cost Estimates for Extraordinary Services Police Department -- Staffing – overtime ($18,000 - $22,000 preliminary estimate) Street Department -- Barricades ($500 preliminary estimate) Executive Board IL 1 s AiN"" Dr.Eugene Sonnleitner John Schmidt P.O.Box 436 Rita Neumann Oshkosh,WI 54903-0436 ����®�� Carlos Munoz Phone:920-235-5584 Don Kujawa Tom Guenther www.sawdustdays.corn SAWDUST Dan Gabert SAWDUST 1 Co•Chalrmen DAYS Ellen Schmidt Steve Lenz July 3-7, 2012 March 18,2012 Oshkosh City Council 215 Church St. PO Box 1130 Oshkosh,WI 54903 Dear City Council Members: Oshkosh Sawdust Days, Inc.would like to request the City Council to consider a waiver of the fees associated with the following two services for our Festival,which includes the 4th of July Fireworks display and the 4th of July Parade: • Approximate cost per the Police Dept. Representative of$19,000 for police overtime,which apparently is most significant the day of the fireworks. (We do not know the cost at this time) • Approximate cost per the Street Department Representative of$700.00 for barricades. Oshkosh Sawdust Days, Inc is a not-for-profit organization that has put on this free event for forty-one years. During that time,our organization has brought many dollars and publicity to Oshkosh. Last year it was estimated by the Visitors Bureau that the festival brought$12,000,000 worth of business directly to the City of Oshkosh.We are unpaid volunteers who have donated not only a tremendous amount of time and energy throughout the years but our combined expertise and management skills for the benefit of the City and the merchants. Sawdust Days does not profit from this event,we use the money from the event to pay for non-sponsored items such as toilets,insurance, park help,clean up and so forth. Additional expenses would seriously impact our already thin budget.A portion of the Fireworks Display is sponsored by Festival Foods but Sawdust Days must raise the other expense. Somehow we have become responsible for the fireworks so this expense is not covered by the city. In addition,this festival is an opportunity for various nonprofit organizations to raise funds;this was the original premise for Sawdust Days,Inc.and to provide a free community festival. This includes several veteran groups, churches,and other nonprofits such as Noon Optimists,Oshkosh Area Humane Society and more. This event is the main fund raiser for many of these groups. I look forward to your response and to continuing our successful partnership. Best regards, Oshkosh Sawdust Days, Inc. By G c Ellen Schmidt,Co Chair CITY HALL 215 Church Avenue P.O.Box 1130 Oshkosh,54903-1130 City of Oshkosh ` MEMORANDUM OIHKO.IH Date: April 20, 2012 To: Mayor & City Council From: Mark A. Rohloff, City Manager Subject: SPECIAL EVENT WAIVER FOR DAYS Background The Common Council passed the Special Events Ordinance, in part, to address concerns that the costs for special events should be paid by the event organizer. 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 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 event 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). Analysis For 41 years, Sawdust Days has been the 4th of July celebration for the entire community with free admission, a parade, and fireworks. The Sawdust Days organization works with many of the city's non-profit organizations to provide them with the opportunity to raise funds that, in turn, help support the community as a whole. Over the years, the Sawdust Days organization itself has contributed to park improvements that have, in turn, been used by the city and other users of the park. t«! Mayor & City Council April 20, 2012 Page 2 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 seeking a waiver for those costs this year. The only costs that the Sawdust Days organization has requested a waiver for are the costs for the extraordinary costs of the Police Department ($19,000) and Street Department ($700). 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. Conclusion Because the Sawdust Days celebration is the traditional 4th of July celebration, which includes a community- wide parade and fireworks show at no cost to the citizens of Oshkosh; and because of the longstanding 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. This recommendation is in keeping with many of the criteria provided for in the special event ordinance that exist for the purpose of waiving special event fees. MAR/jdc