Aldermen amend event ordinance

Festivals and parades in New Bern may be a bigger hit for the city coffers than in the past after aldermen amended an ordinance last week that will require all vendors to get permits and city employees to be paid for work to prepare and clean up the event.

New Bern aldermen amended the city ordinance governing public assemblies to better manage future public events and to balance the cost of sponsoring them.

Last year aldermen discussed the city’s role and the cost and benefit of hosting events.

At a work session in January 2011, the New Bern Board of Aldermen compared city sales tax revenue with the cost to the city from employees’ salaries resulting from city-sponsored and non-city sponsored events.

Mike Epperson, city manager, said at that time, while looking at the month of October, there was no “dramatic impact” on city sales tax revenue from events held in the month. Mumfest, which is sponsored by the Swiss Bear Downtown Development Corp., is held in October.

Documents provided to the Sun Journal last year showed there was $212,637 in sales tax generated for New Bern in October 2010, which is $972 above the four-month average sales tax revenue in fiscal year 2011.

The cost to the city for Mumfest is $59,615, according to documents provided at the meeting.

Aldermen Sabrina Bengel said a committee was formed, headed by Thurman Hardison, director of Parks and Recreation. The committee’s job was to better define city events and city-sponsored events, including how costs will be determined and criteria to deny and provide appeals for events.

The city will use those recommendations by amending chapter 66 of the city ordinance that deals with streets, sidewalks and other public places.

No parade or public assembly will be allowed without a permit. City events, which the city is responsible for organizing and carrying out, like the Fourth of July event, do not require permits, according to the amendment.

City-sponsored events, which will require permits, include the Christmas parade, Martin Luther King Jr. parade, Shriners parade, Neuse River Senior Games, Duffest, Antique Car Show, Twin Rivers YMCA Triathlon, Neuse River Days, Vision Forward, MS Bike Tour, Crop Walk, Mumfest, Bridge Run, Ghost Walk, Library Book Sale, National Night Out and Relay For Life.

Permit applicants for public assemblies and parades will be responsible for all direct costs incurred by the city associated with the event, including hiring off-duty law enforcement officers to provide street closures and security, emergency medical technicians, cleanup, trash receptacle placement and trash removal and disposal.

Those costs will be consistent with the city’s fee ordinance, according to staff reports.

In the past, only one permit was needed for events like Mumfest, but now all of the vendors will have to get permits if they don’t have a current one. Mumfest has about 300 vendors.

Any applicant denied a permit may appeal within 10 days after the notice of denial was received.

Aldermen also approved an amendment to the city ordinance chapter 26 on environment that will exempt all properly sanctioned parades, public assemblies, entertainment or sporting events from the noise ordinance.

However, Scott Davis, city attorney, said the permits could be written to provide time limits on loud activities.

Eddie Fitzgerald can be reached at 252-635-5675 or at efitzgerald@freedomenc.com