Special Events permitting in the ‘Matrix’ – Is it real and what does it mean?

Town staff met with about 20 downtown business people Thursday morning, June 17, as part of its informational exchange in the runup to the anticipated June 28^th vote on establishment of a code regarding Special Events permitting on Town-owned public property. Draft copies of the 4-1/2 page, including cover page, “Permit Application, Policy and Procedures” document were available for review by participants.

Present to answer questions from the Town were Town Manager Steven Hicks, Provisional employee Matt Tederick who will be handling business retention and expansion matters for the Town in the future, Purchasing Agency Alisa Scott and Town Police Chief Kahle Magalis, along with IT and Communications Director Todd Jones. Downtown Business people from both the pro and con sides of the downtown walking mall or special event street closing debate were present at the new Town Pavilion in the Village Commons ground zero of community special events, and a positive dialogue appeared to be established between those two private sector contingents and Town staff present.

Town Purchasing Agent Alisa Scott moderates Thursday’s Special Events feedback meeting at the Town Pavilion in Village Commons where many Special Events take place. Royal Examiner Photos by Roger Bianchini

Perhaps it was portions of “Ground Rules” for the gathering that opened with “No swearing” (damn), followed by: Be kind to one another – attack the problem, not the person; among others designed to keep the event constructive and civil.

In response to one question it became clear that the Town does not plan to reinitiate its regular weekend downtown walking mall concept that was popular with some downtown businesses, restaurants in particular, as well as locals and tourists drawn to the outdoor seating and pedestrian-friendly downtown as COVID pandemic inside gathering and social distancing restrictions were being dealt with last year.

But the primary focus was on exactly what a 10-category “Special Events Matrix Criteria” by which permit applications will be scored for eligibility and priority rankings meant.

Michelle Mattieu, who was a co-organizer of the first “Hope Arising” festival last weekend, pointed out that as a first-time event, Hope Arising would likely not have been able to qualify for permitting in the suggested Matrix system because of an inability to reference past attendance and a “history of success”, among other criteria the matrix scoring system is based on.

Town Manager Steven Hicks explains that common sense can come into play in final decision making process.

The back and forth between several attendees and staff indicated that a variety of variables, including discretionary judgements by the town manager, or his designee, could help bypass some seeming problems in the policy. It was also noted that the draft is, in fact, a work in progress. As reported in the Royal Examiner story “Council ponders variables in Special Event permitting and Credit Card fee waiver proposals” a public hearing and town council action on the draft Special Events code proposal is slated for the June 28^th evening meeting at the Warren County Government Center.

Several people noted that the Matrix scoring system seemed weighted toward events designed to draw tourists, with increased overnight bookings into local motels and hotels and their added tax revenue benefits getting higher ranking than events aimed at the local population. While there was some dispute that was true, no clear answer on that Matrix dynamic appeared given to the satisfaction of those questioning the Matrix ranking system. As noted in the above-referenced story, a minimum Matrix system ranking of 33 is required for permit approval. Scores of 33 to 42 are categorized as “Community Special Events”; 43 and above are categorized as “Tourism Special Events”; and events scoring above 40 “are eligible for discretionary Town support”.

The Matrix

The now-completed, 10-category “Special Events Matrix Criteria” are: 1/ Purpose – Community & Destination Benefit; 2/ Demonstrated History of Success; 3/ Evidence of Partnership – multiple businesses participating; 4/ Attendance Figures; 5/ Organization Structure & Management Capability; 6/ Business Benefit – Direct Spending; 7/ Funding Capacity; 8/Overnight Stays/Room Nights; 9/ Target Market Alignment; 10/ Evaluation & Measurement Plan.

Beyond the Matrix

White Picket Fence’s Sue Laurence questions language of Special Events draft as it applies to a variety of permitting issues.

Questions were also raised about the future of downtown business-driven decorations in the Gazebo-anchored Commons area as have occurred over recent years for example, Halloween and Valentine’s Day. White Picket Fence proprietor Sue Laurence pointed to recent Valentine’s Day decorations and asked if the current permitting draft would NOT allow such decorations to be placed if someone decided to play Valentine’s Day curmudgeon and issue a complaint against the proposed decorations.

Again, the discretionary judgement of the town manager or designee was cited as a preventive from such arbitrary decisions, as well as insurance in place to cover potential accidents as one speaker noted could occur with such decorations in place over a period of time.

A final pre-June 28 council meeting community feedback session will be held at Town Hall Monday, June 21, at 5 p.m., leading up to the June 28 public hearing on the proposed Special Events ordinance and a council vote on its adoption.

Staff and business owners mingle after the one-hour Q&A on the dynamics of the proposed new Special Events Permitting Ordinance. Below, the Gazebo-anchored Village Commons is often the central point of downtown special events.