Ty Burden pointed out in Parks’ Public Comments last week that a $5 fee was charged for parking at the Fat Tire Festival, and those who went to town and back had to pay again. He said it was the first time there had been a fee for parking at the event and there had been no notice.
Parks Director Justin Huss said he had heard about the fee only that morning. “This was not necessarily a dynamic that had been discussed,” he commented, but noted charging a fee is one way to control parking. Huss said Parks could charge for parking if it wants to.
Commissioner Cameron Denoewer stated the fact Parks did not know about a fee being charged points out the need for a policy.
Huss said Fat Tire is going through a transition period and the city will take over production of the event. He called it “our signature event” with 20 years of history to build on, and it was time to figure out how it will be run next year.
Chair Bill Featherstone stated the use of LLCP has increased so much in the past two years that the commission is becoming aware of where it does not have adequate policies in place, and as Parks and other city entities take over producing Fat Tire, any parking fees would go towards the needs of the city, not an outside sponsor.
Other items
- Commissioners voted to allocate the grant funds they are receiving for equipment purchases and for the Trails Manager salary according to the agreement with the Walton Family Foundation. Featherstone explained the grant will pay $40,000 for equipment and for 80 percent of the Trails Manager salary for the first year with the balance coming from the Parks HR budget. During the next three years, the percentage of support will decrease by ten percent each year.
- Commissioners voted to add Christian Super and Denoewer to the check-signers list and remove James Weaver’s name.
- Vote was unanimous to accept the second quarter financials.
There will be an additional workshop Tuesday, July 24, at 6 p.m. at Harmon Park