TO: Mayor and Members of City Council
THRU: Dr. Douglas J. Hewett, ICMA-CM, City Manager
FROM: Brook Redding, MPA, PMP, Senior Assistant to the City Manager
DATE: October 6, 2025
RE:Title
Special Event Security at Festival Park
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COUNCIL DISTRICT(S):
Council District(s)
District 2 - Downtown Festival Park
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Relationship To Strategic Plan:
Goal One: Safe and Secure Community
Executive Summary:
At the September 8, 2025, meeting, City Council received an administrative report on the new Festival park Security Protocol. Council requested that the matter be pulled for a work session briefing to allow for further discussion and questions.
The protocol establishes a standardized four-tier system for event security requirements at Festival Park, including staffing, screening, access control, and a unified command with Police and event security. Staff has implemented the protocol at two pilot events and will continue implementation for upcoming events. For FY26, the City will cover incremental security costs for City-sponsored and partnered events. Beginning in FY27, only City-sponsored events will be covered, while other organizers will be responsible for their own costs.
Background:
On May 5, 2025, at a Public Safety special meeting, Council directed staff to increase security at Festival Park, including adoption of a mask and bag policy.
A cross-departmental team from Police, the City Manager’s Office, Parks and Recreation, and City Security revised the security protocol and created a tiered security matrix with venue overlays for Festival Park alone and Festival Park plus the Promenade. Staff also met with major external stakeholders to review the approach, gather feedback, and address operational concerns related to fencing, gates, access, communications, and costs.
The protocol and matrix are complete and have been piloted at the July 4th Celebration and International Folk Festival. Lessons from those events have informed refinements to staffing, screening, and communication processes.
Issues/Analysis:
The protocol provides a clear, scalable framework for securing Festival Park events. It establishes consistent standards that apply to all organizers while maintaining flexibility for Police, Fire, EMS, and City staff to adjust if conditions require.
Core elements of the protocol include:
- Tiered matrix: four levels based on attendance, alcohol service, time of day, and event activity.
- Venue Overlays: templates for Festival Park alone and for Festival Park plus Promenade (with Ray Avenue Closure).
- Unified Command: coordinated roles across Police, Fire, EMS, Parks, City Security, and event organizers.
- Mask and Bag Policy: enforced through standardized screening, signage, and public messaging.
How it functions:
- Event applications are assigned a tier based on the matrix
- Attendance estimates are validated against past data, with planning defaulting to the higher number.
- Live headcounts and gate throughput allow for escalation on site.
- After Action Reviews are conducted for larger events to improve the process.
Impact on smaller events:
- Festival park hosts about 25 events per year.
- Under the protocol, about 20 of these fall into the lower tiers. For those, costs and requirements remain close to historical levels.
- The protocol simply sets consistent minimums for event security staff and Police presence.
Budget Impact:
No new appropriation is requested at this time. Planning, coordination, and oversight will be managed within existing departmental resources.
Incremental security costs are driven by the tiered posture. At the highest tier, a fully secured event with gated access, magnetometers, uniformed officers, and staffed command post requires approximately 30 personnel, including 17 event staff, and 15 sworn officers/supervisors.
Costs for these postures vary based on event duration, but a large-scale Tier 4 festival represents the highest cost scenario. Most events at Festival Park fall into the lower tiers, where requirements are closer to historical security practices and cost impacts are nominal.
For FY26, the City will cover incremental security costs for City-sponsored and partnered events (estimated total $90,000). Beginning in FY27, only City-sponsored and partnered events will be funded by the City, with other organizers covering their own costs.
Options:
1. Receive the Briefing and allow staff to continue implementation of the protocol, applying the FY26 and FY27 cost approach.
2. Provide further direction to staff regarding the protocol, funding approach, or other adjustments.
Recommended Action::Recommended Action
Council is requested to receive this briefing and provide feedback or direction as appropriate.
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Attachments:
Festival Park Security - Oct 2025 - WS Briefing