[N]EWPORT — Council members are looking to revamp the city’s policy for event applications in an effort to dodge controversy and make sure event planners pay for services.
“At our current pattern of approving all of the events that come before us, it is not sustainable financially and we are setting ourselves up to judge events,” Mayor Paul Monette said at Monday night’s city council meeting, reading from a prepared statement.
The council greenlit a committee to consider a new system for evaluating events after hearing Monette detail his concerns with sending event proposals to the council for approval, which is the city’s current policy.
“As soon as we say no, we are likely to be challenged,” the mayor said. “We cannot let this take over our goodwill. We raise controversy every time we judge an event.”
Monette proposed instead channeling event proposals through a permit system to avoid any appearance of favoritism from council members — and any blowback as a result. As a possible worst-case scenario, he referenced an unnamed event in Boston that might draw a court challenge if denied. A group is currently trying to hold a “straight pride parade” in that city.
“We must treat everyone fairly and equally,” Monette said, outlining a policy where people who want to hold events would need to meet universal criteria.
The mayor also said that officials need to lead planners away from the idea that taxpayers will fund or subsidize their events. Event organizers don’t always have a plan for how they will pay for services such cleanup, and they ask the city to pick up the tab.
The council had just taken about 15 minutes to discuss one event proposal — a parade for the North Country Chamber of Commerce’s Aquafest in July — that drew concern over how much the city would have to pay workers to clean up trash, as requested.
“Events are great, and they’re wonderful, but I don’t think it’s the obligation of the Newport City Council to say, ‘Yes, we’re going to use taxpayers’ money [to] fund a particular event,” council member Melissa Pettersson said.
“We just keep waiving and waiving and waiving and waiving,” she added. “We’ll have this bill at the end of the year that will just be astronomical that’s being spread against all the taxpayers in Newport.”
The new committee will be made up of two city councillors, the city manager, the recreation director, at least one member of the city’s recreation committee and at least two event organizers.
Pettersson and council member Dan Ross said they would like to sit on the committee.
