01 Special Event Fees
LEISURE SERVICES DEPARTMENT MEMORANDUM ~
TO:
Steve Sheiffer, City Manager
FROM:
Mike Williams, Director of Leisure Services ~
Action on a Request to Waive the Special Event Fees for the
Jaycees 4th of July Celebration
SUBJECT:
DATE:
May 21,2007
The Janesville Jaycees will be hosting a two-day 4th of July celebration at Traxler
Park on July 3-4, 2007. The Jaycees are requesting permission from the City
Council to waive all special event fees associated with sponsoring this
community event. Council members DeGarmo and Truman have requested this
item be placed on a City Council agenda for formal action.
The Jaycees are planning a two-day event this year because the holiday falls
mid-week on a Wednesday. Usually the event is 4-5 days in duration depending
on what day of the week the holiday falls. The Jaycees are not planning a
carnival this year because a two-day event is not of sufficient length to attract a
carnival vendor. The Janesville Jaycees have publicly expressed their challenge
in financially supporting this community event. The Jaycees are currently trying
to generate community donations for the fireworks display which has a projected
cost of $20,000 to $25,000. As of this date, the Jaycees have not submitted a
2007 application to the City for their special event request. Based on what we
know at this time, we estimate the Jaycees will pay the City of Janesville $560 in
fees to sponsor a two-day 4th of July celebration. This total fee of $560 includes
$425 for the special event fees, including bleacher and pavilion rentals; $100 for
a tent permit; $25 for a fireworks permit and $10 for an alcohol permit. If the
Jaycees would decide to extend the event beyond two days, there would be an
additional fee of $125 per day.
The Leisure Services Administration supports the waiver of special event fees for
the Jaycees 4th of July celebration. The 4th of July is a community event which
benefits many Janesville families and is a positive economic impact for
Janesville. The City Council recently waived the special event fees for the
Farmers Market and we believe this event has a comparable benefit to the City of
Janesville. A motion by the City Council to direct the Administration to waive all
fees associated with the Jaycees 4th of July celebration would be in order.
Cc: Herb Stinski, Director of Administration and Finance
Neil Mahan, Police Chief