LV weighs new special events policy

Diana Sahagun

Tuesday, July 16, 2002 | 11:06 a.m.

A proposed special events policy for the Las Vegas City Council would not curtail regular neighborhood meetings but would set new policies with the ultimate goal of bringing council members' spending to more equal levels.

The proposed policy, which is scheduled to be discussed by the council on Wednesday, outlines procedures for the planning of special events throughout the city's six wards. City officials say ultimately, and with the council's direction, they would work toward standardizing the costs of special events in order to encourage more equal spending.

Already contained in the proposed policy is a $5,000 budget for each council member to spend at his or her discretion for extras beyond regular budgeted special events. The policy does not, though, set a limit on the number of special events each council member can hold per year.

"This policy gives (the council) more flexibility while at the same time creates a solid planning approach for special events," said Deputy City Manager Betsy Fretwell.

The council's special events policy -- or lack thereof -- came under scrutiny last month after Councilwoman Lynette Boggs McDonald's name was used on a city flier promoting a food festival in her ward.

The fliers, which prominently featured Boggs McDonald's name, were mailed before the councilwoman filed May 20 for Congress. The event took place five days after she filed.

The proposed policy does not address how council members names are used on fliers promoting an event, Fretwell said.

City officials had to start from scratch when drafting the special events policy because one does not currently exist. Special events are mostly handled by the city's Leisure Services Department, but include other departments, such as public works.

The policy -- which includes portions of policies from other cities around the country -- provides guidance to the council by first categorizing the various types of events that are put on by the city.

According to the proposal, informational meetings such as neighborhood meetings, ward town hall meetings, and workshops would not be considered special events.

"Those are just the course of doing business in our mind," Fretwell said.

A special event would be defined as "a large, recreational, cultural, or community event that uses public property or city resources," according to the proposal.

Groundbreakings and park openings would be considered special events because they draw large crowds and require planning and additional licensing, Fretwell added.

According to city officials, council members have spent between $12,000 and $70,000 on events in their ward in the last year. But much of that total includes neighborhood meetings and town hall meetings, which would not be considered special events under the new policy.

When planning special events, a committee made up of staff from various departments would work from a set of procedures that would spell out when to notify council members and staff, standardize the type of fliers that are sent to residents, and require evaluations after the event.

Some special events would come before the council for approval, including ceremonial events such as groundbreakings.

Although not included in the proposed policy, Fretwell said the city is working toward standardizing the costs of special events based on their type and scope. A standard cost for ground breakings and park openings would be built into the overall budget for city projects, Fretwell said.

Anything desired above that cost would be covered by the council members' proposed $5,000 budget.

Stacy Allsbrook, a spokeswoman with the city's Leisure Services Department, said the policy creates more communication that will make special events more enjoyable for the public.

"Leisure services probably receives 85 percent of most special events and they range from rentals, ceremonial, even some programming uses," she said. "For us, we're able to be more effective with a policy that gives us guidelines in which we are to work from.

"It allows for better communication with other departments to make sure that special events come off the way that they're supposed to be."