Event Permit Gets Re-look

DAYTON - Saying that it was a "draft" and a "work in progress", Dayton city council member Dain Nysoe agreed Monday evening to return a "Special Event Application" proposal to the Public Safety Committee for more consideration. A resolution to adopt the application and permit was on the agenda for that evening's council meeting.

Nysoe, who is chair of the Public Safety Committee, spearheaded development of the permit process earlier this year.

In front of a large crowd at the St. Joseph's parish hall across from city hall, at least fifteen members of the public spoke against the proposal, and four of the six city council members expressed reservations. Besides Nysoe, no one spoke in favor of the proposal.

"This is a draft that's still under review," Nysoe said. He said that several versions of the proposal are "out there," and many audience members may not have read the same one.

Nysoe told the council and the audience that his main concerns when he introduced the permit proposal were to make sure event sponsors had proper insurance to protect the city in case of accidents during events, and to cover the cost of city staff when they help with events.

Several speakers, including council member Arthur Hall, pointed out that the proposed event application did not specify what qualified as an event. "It talks about large events and small events," said Hall, saying that those descriptions were not defined.

The proposed "Special Event Permit" application is based on a document used by the city of Ephrata, Wash. Nysoe stressed that many permits and applications from other cities were reviewed by the committee.

Representatives of several community groups who sponsor events in Dayton spoke up at the meeting. The groups included the Dayton Chamber of Commerce, American Legion Post #42, the Dayton Alumni Association and the Historic Depot Society. All of those speakers protested that their groups hadn't been consulted in the preparation of the permit proposal.

Nysoe said he had gotten input from the Chamber of Commerce, but Chamber Director Brad McMasters said his input had been that the proposal wasn't workable.

Many of the speakers also pointed out that volunteer groups in Dayton have been successfully putting on events for many years, without an event permit. "If this permit had been in place 19 years ago, All Wheels Weekend would never have happened," said Port of Columbia Manager Jennie Dickinson, pointing out that All Wheels Weekend is Dayton's most successful event.

Several speakers, including Chamber representatives, also said they understood that, to help the city manage risk, some form of documentation for large events might be appropriate.

After public comment on the proposed resolution was finished, Dayton Mayor Craig George asked the Public Safety Committee to take a new look at a possible event permit process, and to make sure that concerns from members of affected groups were fully considered.