Item 4KM E M O R A N D U M
October 9, 2008
To:
Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
From:
Greg Last, Director of Economic Development
Subject: Item 4K - RESOLUTION NO. 08-054 OF THE CITY
COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SOUTHLAKE, TEXAS,
ESTABLISHING A COMMUNITY EVENT PARTICIPATION
POLICY.
Action
Requested:
Approval of Resolution 08-054 establishing a Community
Event Participation Policy.
Background
Information:
The questions. A number of community groups in Southlake
organize and promote outstanding community events that
draw visitors to Southlake. For example, the Chamber of
Commerce hosts Oktoberfest, with estimated attendance for
2007 of 45,000. The Southlake Women’s Club has hosted
Art In The Square for the past nine years and estimates that
the event attendance in 2008 was 80,000. These events
have not only promoted tourism in Southlake, but have also
helped draw name recognition for the City. These are only
two examples of events developed, managed and funded by
local community groups.
Events of this magnitude require a great deal of planning
and volunteer effort. They also require City participation to
be successful. Security, logistics, equipment and other
needs are often requested of the City by host organizations.
This leads to important public policy questions:
Should the City participate in these kinds of events as a
partner?
What criteria should be used to determine which events
will be considered for participation?
What role should the City play?
If the City does partner in the event, how should the
participation be funded?
What kind of decisions need to be made when
considering participation and who should make them?
The City as a partner. When considering the fundamental
question of whether the City should participate in the event,
Honorable Mayor and City Council
Community Events Partnership Program
Page 2 of 6
the first consideration is whether this participation aligns with
the City’s overall strategy.
The City Council identified “Partnerships and Volunteerism”
as a focus area when adopting the strategic plan in 2005.
Since then, an objective has been included on the City
strategy map: “Actively promote opportunities for
partnerships and volunteer involvement (individual and
group).”A case can be made, therefore, that this kind of
partnership would be properly aligned with the City’s strategy
since a partnership of this kind brings together community
groups and the City to offer high quality events that promote
the City.
Additionally, the strategy map includes a focus area of
“Safety and security.” This, coupled with the objective of
“Collaborate with select partners to implement service
solutions”addresses the matter of the City’s fundamental
obligation to ensure that residents and visitors of Southlake
are safe and secure, whatever their activity. If we develop a
successful partnership with these community groups,
coordinate our efforts, and, perhaps, share the costs, the
City has ultimately met this stated strategic objective.
In summary, participation in these kinds of events is easily
aligned with Council’s strategic focus areas and stated
strategic objectives.
Which events? The question of the criteria used to
determine which events are “eligible” for City participation is
a critical one. While there should be some flexibility when
making the determination, a broad list of criteria has been
identified in the policy to provide decision-makers a
framework and for communicating the City’s intentions to
interested organizations at the outset. Some of the criteria
used to consider partnership opportunities for the City
include:
Scope & location of the event (will it draw visitors/tourists
to Southlake?)
Projected attendance (will the event have significant
impact?)
Experience (is this a new event?)
Sponsor (is the organizing group a local group?)
Secularity (does the event promote entertainment for a
variety of participants?)
Honorable Mayor and City Council
Community Events Partnership Program
Page 3 of 6
Non-political (is the event intended to advance a
particular political agenda?)
Sponsor (will the City receive sponsorship billing for its
participation?)
What is the appropriate City role? As previously discussed,
City resources should only be used in pursuit of the City’s
strategic focus areas and objectives. The intersection of the
City’s strategy and the requesting organization’s strategy
provides an opportunity to determine the appropriate and
most effective opportunity for partnership.
There are three areas where the City could actively
participate in tourist-generating events.
organizationally
First, the City could participate . In this
role, City representative(s) would take on the role of
consultant, providing guidance on City regulations, and
serving as a liaison to other City staff for the purposes of
ensuring proper coordination. Designating a formal liaison
could significantly reduce any potential confusion or
miscommunication between the City and the organization,
providing for a smooth process.
financially
Second, the City may participate . This could
include providing grants to organizations or offering in-kind
services. Direct financial assistance is potentially
problematic due to public perception, lack of direct financial
control, and an unclear definition of the City’s role.
In-kind participation, however, provides the organization
with needed support, while ensuring that the City is using its
funds appropriately, for expenses that are clearly related to
the City’s overall purpose (e.g., police protection).
It is important to determine how financial participation would
be handled as part of the City’s policy. The policy addresses
the level of financial participation, and clearly outlines
specifics. For example, whatever financial participation the
City may agree to, allocations would only be made for one
year, with no entitlement to future participation and all
allocations would necessarily be subject to City budget
limitations. Also, the City may approach its participation as a
“matching fund” whereby the City only participates if the
sponsoring organization brings a portion of the funding to the
table.
Honorable Mayor and City Council
Community Events Partnership Program
Page 4 of 6
promote
Finally, the City may participate to the event.
While the City has limited marketing resources at this time,
there is a public information/communication strategy which
could supplement the marketing efforts of the sponsoring
organization to ensure broad awareness of the event.
Whatever role the City might choose to pursue, a formal
agreement will be required to ensure that expectations of
both parties are clearly described and agreed upon.
City participation. If it is determined that the City of
Southlake will partner with a sponsoring organization, how
will the City’s participation be funded?
The best source of funding for City participation is the hotel
occupancy tax budget. This tax is authorized under the
Texas Tax Code, Chapter 351. The City of Southlake
adopted Ordinance No. 769 in February 2000, levying a 7%
tax on room receipts. The revenue generated from this tax
is used to promote tourism and the convention and hotel
industry.
This source of funding could be used for direct or indirect
(e.g., reimbursement to the General Fund for officer salaries)
funding of City participation initiatives, subject to
confirmation of expense eligibility.
City participation is capped at $10,000 per event for
budgetary purposes, as well as to ensure that a variety of
organizations can benefit from the program.
Making the decisions. The fundamental decision about the
City’s willingness to participate in these events will be the
allocation of funds through the budget process. Once funds
are set aside for this purpose, the determination of which
events and what kind of participation should be made as part
of a formal application process. The City policy describes
the application process and the steps that should be taken
for formal approval by the City Council.
Financial
Considerations:
Funds ($50,000) have been included in the FY 2009 Hotel
Occupancy Tax budget for this purpose.
Citizen Input/
Board Review:
N/A
Honorable Mayor and City Council
Community Events Partnership Program
Page 5 of 6
Legal Review:
Resolution and policy has been reviewed by the City
Attorney.
Alternatives:
City Council may decide to approve, deny or modify this
policy.
Supporting
Documents:
Resolution 08-054
Community Event Participation Policy
Staff
Recommendation:
Staff recommends approval of the resolution
Community Event Participation Policy
Process Flow
Yes Yes
Council
Staff
Yes
StaffDraft CS
Matching
Reco-
Approves
Finalize
Analysis Agreement
Request
mmends
Agreement
Received
Scope of event
o
Organizational
o
Attendance
o
Participation
Track Record
No
o
Financial
o
Organizing
o Implement
Participation
sponsor
Promotional
o
May Request
Secularity
o
Participation
It goes to
Political event?
o
Promotional
Council
Requested
o
participation
Sponsor credit
o
Yes
No
Council
Agrees to
fund
No
Request
Denied
City of Southlake, Texas
RESOLUTION NO. 08-054
RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF
SOUTHLAKE, TEXAS, ESTABLISHING A COMMUNITY EVENT
PARTICIPATION POLICY.
WHEREAS,
the City Manager shall be responsible to the Council for the proper
administration of all affairs of the City including the preparation of general policies; and
WHEREAS,
according to the City of Southlake (the “City”) Charter section 4.14(6) the
City Manager is responsible for administration of the City budget after adoption by the City
Council; and
WHEREAS,
the City of Southlake assesses and collects a municipal hotel occupancy tax
in accordance with Chapter 351 of the Texas Tax Code; and
WHEREAS,
the City Manager recognizes the need to add new policies to define City
practice regarding use of hotel occupancy tax revenues with third party community events, and
to provide a process whereby third parties wishing to sponsor a community event in the City may
request City participation, and;
WHEREAS
, the Community Event Participation Policy accomplishes the purposes
described above in a manner that accommodates the legitimate interests of the City, now
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF
SOUTHLAKE, TEXAS THAT:
Section 1.
The City of Southlake hereby approves the Community Event Participation Policy,
specifying general policies relating to City participation in community events.
Section 2.
This resolution shall become effective after its passage and adoption by the City
Council.
PASSED AND APPROVED THIS _____ DAY OF ___________________________, 2008.
________________________________
Andy Wambsganss, Mayor
ATTEST:
____________________________________
Lori Payne, City Secretary
Community Event Participation Policy
1.Statement of Purpose: The purpose of this Policy is to establish guidelines for processing
requests for City participation in Community Events.
A.Strategic Plan Alignment: This Policy is being considered due to its support of the
City’s overall Strategic Plan and alignment with the Council’s strategic focus
areas and stated strategic objectives.
1.Partnerships and Volunteerism: The City Council identified “Partnerships
and Volunteerism” as a focus area when adopting the strategic plan in 2005.
Since then, an objective has been included on the City strategy map:
“Actively promote opportunities for partnerships and volunteer involvement
(individual and group).” A case can be made, therefore, that this kind of
partnership would be properly aligned with the City’s strategy since a
partnership of this kind brings together community groups and the City to
offer high quality events that promote the City.
2.Safety and Security: The strategy map includes a focus area of “Safety and
security.” This, coupled with the objective of “Collaborate with select
partners to implement service solutions” addresses the matter of the City’s
fundamental obligation to ensure that residents and visitors of Southlake are
safe and secure, whatever their activity. If we develop a successful
partnership with these community groups, coordinate our efforts, and,
perhaps, share the costs, the City has ultimately met this stated strategic
objective.
B.Compliance with the Hotel Occupancy Tax State Laws: Funds utilized under this
policy shall comply in all instances with the requirements of Chapter 351 of the
Texas Tax Code as it pertains to the eligibility and expenditure of hotel
occupancy tax funds.
2.Policy Administration: This Policy will be administered through the Department of
Economic Development.
3.Definitions: The following definitions shall be utilized in this Policy.
A.City: Shall mean the City of Southlake, Texas.
B.Community Event: Shall mean an event held within the Southlake City limits
having broad appeal and interest by attendees both from the City and outside the
City and meeting the evaluation criteria defined herein.
C.Coordinator: Shall mean the Marketing and Tourism Coordinator in the
Department of Economic Development.
D.Director: Shall mean the Director of Economic Development.
Community Event Participation Policy - 2008-10-09 DRAFT - Page 1 of 6
E.Eligible Applicants: Shall mean community organizations active in our region on
an ongoing basis.
F.In-Kind Participation: Shall include the utilization of City staff, providing of City
equipment, utilization of City facilities or similar participation as approved by the
Director. Examples might include: police protection, emergency medical
services, street closure set-up, banner displays, website exposure, cooperative
marketing, etc.
G.Participation Agreement: Shall mean a Community Event Participation Services
Agreement between the City and the applicant organizing and responsible for the
event.
H.Policy: Shall mean the Community Event Participation Policy adopted by City
Council.
I.Tourism Team: Shall mean the City staff team working collectively to implement
tourism programs in the City. The members of this team may vary by type of
event to be evaluated or reviewed. It may also at times include third party
participants who can contribute a unique aspect to the team.
4.Submittal Requirements: The following shall be applicable to establishing an adequate
submittal for participation by the City.
A.Eligible Applicants: Applications will only be accepted from Eligible Applicants
as defined herein.
B.Application: An applicant must submit a fully executed application identified in
Appendix ‘A’ herein. This application may be amended periodically by staff if
needed to better administer this Policy. The completed application shall be
submitted to the Coordinator for review.
C.Submittal Deadlines: Applications must be submitted three (3) months prior to
the date of the event.
5.Application Review: Upon receipt of the application, the following shall apply to the
review and evaluation of the application.
A.Evaluation Criteria: The following criteria shall be utilized by the Coordinator
when reviewing the application and in consideration of any recommendation for
participation.
1.Applicant’s Community Involvement: Is the applicant active in the
community? Are they local and frequently engaged in community
activities? If the applicant is not involved locally, is the event unique
enough to support?
Community Event Participation Policy - 2008-10-09 DRAFT - Page 2 of 6
2.City Recognition: Will the City be recognized as a “co-sponsor”? What
additional exposure or recognition will the City receive?
3.Experience of Applicant: Does the applicant have a history of successfully
holding the event? Has the applicant worked successfully with the City on
this or other similar events in the past? Is the applicant able to demonstrate
the organization’s ability to perform the duties necessary to fund and
implement the proposed event?
4.Marketing Efforts: Does the applicant have a marketing program to
enhance the likelihood of success of the event?
5.Matching Fund: It is the intent of this Policy to require that the applicant
provide a 50/50 match of the contributions by the City, e.g. if staff hours for
an event was equal to $5,000, the applicant would be required to make a
payment of $2,500 to the City.
6.Neutrality: Is the event non-partisan politically? Are all religions and
ethnical backgrounds allowed to attend and participate? Does the event
make no effort to promote or facilitate the promotion of a particular position
or political candidate?
7.Tourism Impact: What are the beneficial tourism impacts of the proposed
event? Factors might include: anticipated draw, likelihood of overnight
hotel room reservations, visitor expenditures in the City, etc.
B.Staff Review: The Coordinator will engage the Tourism Team to jointly discuss
the merits and challenges of the application. The Director, upon a
recommendation from the Coordinator, shall determine the acceptability of the
application and response to the applicant.
1.Recommendation for Council Action: If the Director deems that the event
as proposed by the applicant meets the purpose and intent of the Policy, an
action item will be placed before the City Council for their approval of a
Participation Agreement outlining all aspects of the participation request.
a.Participation Agreement: Prior to placement of the participation
request before the City Council, the applicant must work with the
Coordinator to prepare an adequate Participation Agreement for
Council consideration.
2.Denial of Application: If the Director does not find that the application for
City participation in the proposed event meets the Council adopted Policy,
the applicant shall be informed of the decision and the reasons for the
finding.
a.Appeal to City Council: The applicant may appeal the decision of
the Director to City Council. All decisions by the City Council
shall be final.
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C.Participation Limitations: Following are specific limitations to City participation
under the guidelines of this Policy.
1.In-Kind Participation Only: The extent of City participation shall be limited
to “in-kind” participation as defined herein. No cash contributions shall be
provided.
2.Funding: No application for City participation shall be approved when
funds are not available for the event.
a.Funding Cap: No single event shall receive a City contribution in
excess of ten thousand ($10,000) dollars.
3.Staffing: No application for City participation shall be approved when staff
required to support the event are not available for the event.
6.Post Event Evaluation: The applicant shall be required to participate in a post-event
debriefing meeting to identify opportunities, challenges, and recommended
improvements for any future events.
Community Event Participation Policy - 2008-10-09 DRAFT - Page 4 of 6
Appendix A
Application for Community Event Participation
Name of Event:
Applicant:
Primary Contact Name: Title:
Phone: Fax: Cell:
Email Address: Web:
Paid Organizer Name: Title:
Phone: Fax: Cell:
Email Address: Web:
Requested In-Kind City Staffing
(*Staff Estimate)
Est. Cost* Staff Member Anticipated Duties
TOTAL
Other Requested In-Kind Items
(*Staff Estimate)
Est. Cost* In-Kind Item Proposed Utilization
`
TOTAL
Please identify any unique requests for City assistance related to this event: (e.g. street closures)
1.
2.
3.
By Signing this application, the applicant agrees to comply with all City ordinances including but
not limited to the following:
Mass Gathering Ord. No. XXXX Noise Ord. No. XXXX
Solicitation Ord. No. XXXX ?
Please respond to the following questions:
1. Anticipated attendees:
2. Duration of event:
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3. Applicant’s Community Involvement: Is the applicant active in the community? Are they local and
frequently engaged in community activities? If the applicant is not involved locally, is the event unique
enough to support?
Answer:
4. City Recognition: Will the City be recognized as a “co-sponsor”? What additional exposure or
recognition will the City receive?
Answer:
5. Experience of Applicant: Does the applicant have a history of successfully holding the event? Has
the applicant worked successfully with the City on this or other similar events in the past? Is the
applicant able to demonstrate the organization’s ability to perform the duties necessary to fund and
implement the proposed event?
Answer:
6. Marketing Efforts: Does the applicant have a marketing program to enhance the likelihood of success
of the event?
Answer:
7. Matching Fund: It is the intent of this Policy to require that the applicant provide a 50/50 match of
the contributions by the City, e.g. if staff hours for an event was equal to $5,000, the applicant would be
required to make a payment of $2,500 to the City.
Answer:
8. Neutrality: Is the event non-partisan politically? Are all religions and ethnical backgrounds allowed
to attend and participate? Does the event make no effort to promote or facilitate the promotion of a
particular position or political candidate.
Answer:
9. Tourism Impact: What are the beneficial tourism impacts of the proposed event? Factors might
include: anticipated draw, likelihood of overnight hotel room reservations, visitor expenditures in the
City, etc.
Answer:
Submitted on this the ______ day of ______________, 2008
_______________________________
Name:
Title:
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