A resolution that would have increased special event fees for those looking to host gatherings in city-maintained spaces was voted down during a May 12 meeting of the Homer City Council.
The move came after largely negative community feedback during a public hearing before the council.
Resolution 25-043 was first introduced April 28 to the council by City Manager Melissa Jacobsen on behalf of Public Works Director Daniel Kort. The city has historically allowed use of its property for special events for many years, the resolution said, and has not previously charged for using city property for special events, “while other Kenai Peninsula communities have charged a fee for this privilege.”
According to the resolution, the city has incurred expenses for past special events, citing issues like failure to remove trash and damage to city property.
The implementation of special event fees would encourage better compliance, as well as cover costs incurred by the City to facilitate these events, the resolution said.
If enacted, the resolution would have instituted a $100 permit fee application; a $500 deposit for rental return, damage, takedown of fencing, and litter; a rental fee of $2 each for barricades, cones and candle-stick cones; a $5 fee for each additional trash can; $50 for snow fencing and T-posts; $100 fee for trash not disposed of from an event; and a $1,000 road closure fee, for events that would require road closure.
In addition to the fee schedule, the memorandum notes that “a simple policy reflecting expectations related to hosting Special Events” would be included with the proposed fees, if adopted. No sample or example of this “simple policy” was included in the documents.
The resolution sparked concern among several community members at the meeting.
Former Alaska State House Rep. Paul Seaton said he was in opposition to the resolution because it was unclear who it would apply to.
“Might it apply to political sign waving?” he asked the council. “Is that an organized group?”
Seaton also asked what kinds of groups may be waived from paying the fees, and pointed out that there was no information provided in the resolution or memorandum on what kind of criteria those waivers would be based upon. He also pointed out an inconsistency between the $500 damage deposit and the $100 trash fee, which would encompass “trash not disposed of from event.”
Brad Anderson, executive director of the Homer Chamber of Commerce, noted in his testimony that the proposed $1,000 fee to shut down a street would be a substantial barrier to the chamber’s annual event operations. Historically, the chamber has organized large-scale parades for both the Fourth of July and Winter Carnival. He pointed out that they don’t charge anyone to enter the parade, keeping it accessible and community-minded, and that chamber staff often work overtime and on holidays to organize the popular events.
“We bring out our volunteers. We have our own barricades, our own cones. We clean up afterward,” said Anderson. “So, as far as, you know, what burden is left on that from the city we really try to reduce that significantly.”
Anderson said a fee for these kinds of events would make them “almost cost prohibitive to even consider doing” and said he hoped that the council would consider some exemptions so that the chamber would be able to continue doing these events and “still be able to afford to be part of the community.”
Community member Karen Murdoch pointed out that the closure of the roads surrounding Mountain View Elementary School during the annual trick-or-treating on Halloween helps keep children and their families safe as they negotiate the streets, and, as a parent, she was grateful when the decision was made to close the road.
She said she was also concerned about the impact fees might have on nonprofits attempting to raise funds, and was unclear on whether the proposed fee schedule would impact the renting of the gazebo at WKFL. Murdoch noted that presently the permit fee is $25 for those wishing to use WKFL for an event, making the proposed $100 permit application fee a substantial increase.
Homer resident Michael Kennedy spoke out in opposition to the resolution and said he felt the need for specific definitions of special events and demonstrations, within the context of the proposed fee schedule. He argued that events like the annual Burning Basket ceremony are a demonstration, and should therefore be excluded from having to pay the proposed fees, if the resolution were to pass.
“It’s a demonstration of art. It’s a demonstration of love. It’s a funeral procession for a lot of people. We put somebody’s name in that basket, and it’s burned, somebody that’s died.
“So, it’s a funeral procession in a way. They should be totally outside of that being charged. They clean up everything every year. Nobody has to help. It’s all taken care of, so why should they be charged when they shouldn’t have to pay anything anyway?”
Shelley Gill said she was concerned about the proposed fee schedule and wondered what the point of maintaining all the public gathering places was, if not for community members to use them. She said she was also concerned about the implications such a resolution might have on protesters, and saw the resolution as “very up in the air.” Gill reiterated the thoughts of those who spoke before by asking that the council outline more of the specifics before considering adopting.
“I kind of really don’t like it,” she said. “Because it’s not been the way Homer does business.”
After public testimony closed, council member Jason Davis said his “gut feeling” surrounding the resolution was similar to many who spoke in opposition.
“I just wanted to mention, in our supplemental packet we got the fee schedule of the city of Soldotna as a way of convincing us to vote for this,” Davis said. “And for me having grown up there, it seems like a very different kind of place. Maybe we’ll come to a point in Homer where we need to be like that, but I feel like we’re not there yet.”
Council member Brad Parsons said he saw in the supplemental packet that it was about a $2,500 cost to the city for helping support the production of 20 events last year in Homer. He said this didn’t seem like a particularly high number for the amount of events and he didn’t understand why they were “going after” money that wouldn’t balance any budgets.
Parsons also said that he wanted to remain mindful of keeping the fee structure conversation and the current WKFL protests discussion separate because, in his mind, they’re two distinct things.
Jacobsen suggested the council vote it down, rather than sending it to the Economic Development Committee as council member Caroline Venuti suggested. Jacobsen said this would allow city staff to work on updating city code, instead.
“It’s not an urgent matter that needs to be addressed immediately,” she said.
Resolution 25-043 was unanimously voted down by the Homer City Council on May 12.
Reach reporter Chloe Pleznac at chloe.pleznac@homernews.com.
