Home / April 12 community meeting notes / Follow up letter to special event producers / About the Special Events Task Force / Background on the original proposal
Below you'll find background on the original City of Tacoma proposal regarding event permitting that was put on hold while the City gathered a much better community perspective on how to shape special events services from the Special Events Task Force that was formed.
The Goal of the Proposal
The City of Tacoma is hoping to streamline the permitting process for festivals and events in Tacoma because it recognizes the significance, importance and the value these activities add to the community.
While the City continues to experience higher volumes of events and festivals each year, it felt the need to improve the permitting services related to them, and to be in a position to offer additional event support in case event producers happen to need them.
Ultimately, the City of Tacoma wants more special events, which means that the process has to be efficient and streamlined for all users. That requires setting strategies, and considering changes to the City's current approach for the benefit of the special events community.
Select from the links above to get an overview of these proposed changes, or view a more detailed PowerPoint presentation. An updated version of this presentation will always be available on this site as we move through the public input process.
How the Process Works Now
At this time, there is no overall coordination of events in Tacoma. This becomes especially problematic for those who are planning large events.
Currently, event planners approach Metro Parks Tacoma and the City of Tacoma’s Clerk’s Office independently for permits related to events held on Parks property or those held on City streets and municipal property.
The City of Tacoma’s Clerk’s Office, for example, can help event planners obtain the required permit approvals related to streets and municipal property from City organizations like the Tacoma Police Department, the Tacoma Fire Department, or Traffic Engineering. However, the Clerk’s Office does not provide event planning consultations (if needed) or address permits that may be required from organizations outside of the City structure, like Metro Parks Tacoma.
With this lack of coordination, planners all-to-often receive responses on their permits in an untimely fashion, which can be a hindrance to the already-stressful process of pulling together an event.
The Proposal
The City of Tacoma is considering transferring permitting processes and event management support to Metro Parks Tacoma, which currently is expanding its focus on special events in the community as a part of its strategic plan. Metro Parks Tacoma also currently produces year-round community events.
In addition, the general practice nationwide is that parks departments are responsible for event permitting processes.
The crux of the proposal is to create a Special Events Office within Metro Parks that would be able to handle event planner’s needs on behalf of the City.
The overall mission of the Special Events Office would be to facilitate the growth and development of both new and existing events and festivals in Tacoma.
The core function of the Special Events Office would be to streamline the permitting process for event planners, be it City of Tacoma or Metro Parks Tacoma, and offer advice to event procedures, should the request be made.
Another recommendation under consideration is the request to create an advisory board to help set the direction of the Special Events Office. The Special Events Office would also solicit general community feedback as it sets its administrative processes.
However, the City of Tacoma would retain its authority to set permit fees and approve or deny permits, just as it has in the past.
If approved by City Council, the transfer of permitting authority would occur in January 2008. From this point and beyond, the Special Events Office would develop a work plan for the future of Tacoma events with the involvement of the festival community.
How the New Event Permitting Process Would Work
The Special Events Office would provide functions including fundraising, marketing, long-range planning in coordination with the festival community, and management of administrative processes including:
- A system for reserving both City and Park venues.
- Oversight for agreements with vendors that are receiving City of Tacoma funds.
- Ensuring compliance with the City’s municipal code relating to permits for special events.
- The coordination of City of Tacoma and Metro Parks Tacoma staff that would be required to approve special events.
Here’s what the experience would be like for event planners:
- One application would be available for event planners to fill out via the Web sites or in the physical office of Metro Parks Tacoma, the City of Tacoma's Clerk’s Office and other designated locations.
- The Special Events Office would then set up the appropriate review process and application materials, all of which would be approved by the City of Tacoma.
- Following, the Special Events Office would distribute application materials to any and all appropriate agencies or departments. Each individual department would review the application, recommend approving or denying the application, and stipulate any requirements or conditions.
- Special events permits would be granted based on approval from the individual departments, as required by City of Tacoma Municipal Code 11.15. If a permit is denied or if the applicant feels the restrictions or requirements are not appropriate, they would have the right to appeal the decision to the City of Tacoma.
Please note: None of the City of Tacoma municipal codes relating to the approval of special events permits would change.
Potential Event Funding Procedures
For event producers that are looking for funding for their event (either cash or in-kind), a sponsorship application would be available through the Special Events Office, depending on the availability of funds.
The guidelines and processes for event funding would be developed by the Special Events Office and approved by the City of Tacoma.
Regardless, the City of Tacoma would continue to make all funding decisions, and current contracts and funding agreements would not be affected.
The Public Process – Your opportunities to provide feedback
To date, these recommendations have come before the City of Tacoma’s Government, Performance and Finance Committee, a subset of the Tacoma City Council. Based on that presention, the committee recently moved to hold a public hearing regarding these proposals to create community awareness and ensure community feedback is captured.
Two public meetings were also recently held by the City of Tacoma and Metro Parks Tacoma to inform the festival community.
On April 9, the City of Tacoma presented the proposal during the regularly scheduled Metro Parks Board Meeting. Generally speaking, the Parks Board wanted to make it clear that this is still a work in progress, that the City is continuing to solicit input, and that they'd like the proposal to include information on how the potential Special Events Office would be set up.
The City of Tacoma also held its own community meeting on April 12. Here are the meeting notes from that gathering. These notes and all of the feedback that has been provided outside of this meeting were presented to the Tacoma City Council and the Metro Parks Board of Park Commissioners.
Additionally, community members offered feedback during a public hearing before the City Council on April 17.
At this time, the proposal has not been formally added to any upcoming City Council agenda; therefore, there is no date scheduled for a formal vote to either approve or disapprove this proposal, and there is still ample time to gather community feedback.
At a later date, there will be two more opportunities to provide feedback through the public comment section of two City Council meetings. A first reading of the ordinance will take place in one meeting, and a second reading will take place the following week where the Council would vote on the measure.
This Web site will include updates on where we're at in this process. For questions or concerns about the process, contact Roxanne Murphy, roxanne.murphy@cityoftacoma.org, or (253) 591-2054.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. If Metro Parks Tacoma takes over management of City property for events, would they control the rental/usage contracts for those properties as well?
A. Metro Parks Tacoma will not be taking over management of City property. The City will retain that right. Metro Parks Tacoma would simply be helping to usher the permit process for events relating to streets and municipal property. Metro Parks Tacoma will set its own fees for events that occur on Park property.
Q. Previous fee proposals included fees for major events. What is a major event considered as?
A. The current proposal recommends fees based on a sliding scale with respect for events large to small based on projected total attendance.
Q. How will the Special Events Office be paid for?
A. Funding will be allocated from the City of Tacoma and Metro Parks Tacoma.
Q. Will the public hearing on April 17 include a City Council vote and approval?
A. No. Public hearings are an opportunity for the community to provide feedback on issues that are presented before the Tacoma City Council. It is a chance for the Council to listen to the feedback and concerns of the citizens. The City Council would vote on these measures after a yet-to-be scheduled first and second reading during their regular weekly meetings.
Q. Will Metro Parks Tacoma be taking a cut of special events proceeds?
A. No. Metro Parks Tacoma would be granted the authority to usher the permitting process relating to city property which would include fees for usage, not a cut of the event’s proceeds. Metro Parks Tacoma'a Park Board makes their own arrangements regarding park usage costs.
Q. Why doesn’t the City hire two event specialists to handle these requests?
A. Contracting with Metro Parks Tacoma would come at a lower cost than hiring two full-time employees. Also, the City of Tacoma's focus is on providing core services like police and fire, not the production of festivals and events.
Q. Is Metro Parks Tacoma or the City looking to curb creativity related to events or festivals?
A. No. Streamlining the permit process will allow event organizers to focus more of their time on creativity that comes with planning festivals.
Q. Will the City or Metro Parks be establishing vendor fees that event planners will need to abide by?
A. No. Each event producer is responosible for managing their own event budget, and either charging or not charging vendor fees for participants. Neither Metro Parks Tacoma, nor the City of Tacoma, is involved, or will participate, in that process.
Q. Why don’t you just create a flat fee for events?
Events come in all shapes and sizes, and the current recommendation is that the fees should be flexible to fit these varying levels and the impacts they have on City services.
Q. Does this mean that Metro Parks Tacoma will have the power to deny my permit request if I’m applying for the use of City property?
The routing of permit applications relating to city streets and property will remain the same, and approval, denial or stipulation requirements will be made by the same City of Tacoma departments. Permits relating to parks property would still go to Metro Parks Tacoma for approval.
Q. What would happen if I paid a fee on the lower end of the scale to save cost, knowing that more people were going to attend than what I had paid for?
It’s imperative for the safety of all event participants that event planners provide the most accurate total attendance possible. This way, City of Tacoma departments including police and fire, can accurately predict the level of service they’ll need to provide to ensure the utmost public safety.