After several complaints about special events approved by the City of Fremont in the 2023 calendar year, officials with the city’s administration and Parks and Recreation Department staff are theorizing changes to special event rules and applications for 2025.
On Tuesday night, April 9, members of the Fremont City Council heard brief reports and details of possible changes from City Administrator Jody Sanders as well as City Clerk Tyler Ficken, both of whom explained why the proposals are being put forth.
No action was taken on the issue, and the agenda item for the evening was merely for council members to learn about proposals and offer up ideas themselves for tweaks, alterations and potential new rules for special events, how they are vetted and application requirements.
The possible changes come months after several minor controversies surrounding special events during the 2023 calendar year, as well as older complaints from 2022.
People are also reading…
In the past two years, there have been confrontations at John C. Fremont Park in regard to a night of prayer and whether or not their special permit allowed for removing other members of the public from grassy areas; and a wedding planned for another city park was plagued by questions about whether or not the wedding party could ban non-attendees from being around the wedding area.
One of the more prominent issues surrounding special events was in September 2023 when the first ever Latino Fest Beer Garden event took place on top of the Kavich Parking Garage in downtown Fremont.
The event, which included live music and alcohol service, had applied and been fully approved by city officials to take place, but many residents in downtown apartments complained to Fremont police officials about the loud music which went past midnight.
Three days after the festival, numerous residents of the downtown area came to the Fremont City Council meeting and used the end of the month public comment to complain about the beer festival and loud music, saying they felt that the music was allowed to go too late into the night and that residents were not informed of the event.
On Tuesday, Sanders said there have been complaints from residents who said they were unaware of special events happening and not being given notice.
“We are looking at outdoor events. We’ve had, as you are well aware from calls you’ve received from the public, that there are surprises with events. Whether it be an event that goes on into the night, or a last minute (question) of where are my barricades to shut a street,” Sanders told the council. “It feels a little herky jerky for staff. We wanted to hopefully make it easier for applicants to check the boxes, so to speak.”
Ficken told council members that, under proposals that had not been finalized, the city would raise the application fee for special events to $75 and wanted to place an end-time on outdoor events of two hours after sundown. There would also be security requirements that have yet to be determined, and he said a possible “rush” application fee and process could be made for event planners seeking last minute approval for events.
Mayor Joey Spellerberg then asked council members for their input and recommendations for city staff to work on in coming months. He said the changes were aimed to take effect in 2025 and would possibly be voted on in December.
Several council members said they did not like the idea of a rush fee and application process, because — as Ward 2 Council Member Blair Horner noted — it could merely lead to many organizations or event planners always seeking an event with little notice.
Ward 4 Council Member Lori Lathrop said she was worried about the two hours after sundown time cap on events, noting that the Fremont Moo minor league baseball team often has post-game fireworks shows that go into the night well past the possible two hour after sundown limitation.
Ward 1 Council Member Paul Von Behren also said he wanted to know if the city faced any possible liability issues or responsibilities from an event that may veer into an emergency that involved injuries or even death.
City Attorney Travis Jacott told the council that each special event applicant and the event planning entity are responsible for insurance, and that the city is not liable for injuries or deaths that occur at a special event.
There was no action on the issue, and city staffers will continue to probe ideas, recommendations and collaborate with event planners for possible future changes.