Cotati City Council
Agenda Staff Report
Item type: CONSENT CALENDAR (ACTION)
To: City Council
Subject: APPROVAL OF 2026 COTATI CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
MUSIC FESTIVAL EVENT IN LA PLAZA PARK
Date: May 12, 2026
Written by: Ashley Wilson, Recreation Manager
Recommendation
It is recommended that the City Council adopt a resolution approving the 2026 Cotati Chamber of Commerce Music Festival event.
Background
The Cotati Chamber of Commerce (Chamber) has sponsored many community events, and the City has historically granted the Chamber permission to use City facilities, namely La Plaza Park, City Hall parking lot, and various streets and parking spaces. In accordance with the License Agreement between the City and the Chamber of Commerce (Section 3), the Chamber can use La Plaza Park up to two (2) times per year for free public events that promote economic development of Cotati. For 2026, the Cotati Chamber of Commerce will be back to produce the Annual Cotati Music Festival.
Analysis/Discussion
Below is a summary of the event. The logistics, operation, and participants are anticipated to be very similar to previous years’ events. Requests include the following: 1) exclusive use of La Plaza Park; 2) food truck and vendor sales of food and beverages; 3) live, amplified entertainment; 4) alcoholic beverage sales; 5) street closures of La Plaza between West Sierra Ave and Old Redwood Highway.
Event Attendance Date/Time (including set-up)
Music Festival 1000 Saturday, June 20th
8:00 am - 8:00 pm
The Music Festival is a family-friendly event and has grown in popularity over the past several years. The festival will feature music in the park from noon until 6:00 PM. The Chamber is requesting exclusive use of the park and bandstand from 8:00 AM through 8:00 PM to allow for set-up, breakdown, and clean-up. The event at La Plaza Park will be free of charge. The festival will include vendors and food trucks selling food, beverages, and merchandise. Alcoholic beverages will be sold in association with the festival.
The Chamber has reviewed the City’s insurance requirements and has indicated that they have adequate insurance. A Condition of Approval has been included which requires proof of insurance to be supplied to the City before each event.
A Condition of Approval has been included which requires the California Department of Alcohol and Beverage Control to approve the temporary permit which allows for the sale of alcohol and a copy to be supplied to the City before the event.
Financial Considerations
In accordance with the License Agreement between the City and the Chamber of Commerce (Section 3), the Chamber can use La Plaza Park up to two (2) times per year for free public events that promote economic development of Cotati. The Chamber has also requested City support of staff time. These events are widely marketed by the Chamber and have increased the number of visitors to the City. The increased visitation is evidenced not only at the events, but at local businesses as well. The events provide increased opportunities to promote economic development. The waived fees for this event total $1,427. This will be the first of two times this year. The second time will be for the Oktoberfest event, which will come to Council for approval at a later date. As a City partner, it is recommended that City Council waives the remaining cost which primarily consists of Public Works staff installing and removing the banner across Old Redwood Highway. The total cost assumed for this is $1,146 for 6 hours of Public Works Staff time.
Therefore, the total cost to the City in waived fees and staff time to support the events is estimated at $2,573, which the City’s General Fund will fund. The City would still collect the $500 refundable deposit, which would be returned after the event, if the park is left in good condition.
Additionally, the Cotati Music Festival is designated as a City-sponsored event, which allows them to be considered as one of the ten (10) community events designated to receive free trash/recycling/compost service in 2026, as permitted under the City’s waste franchise agreement with Recology. As a City Sponsored Event, it is expected that the organizer will prominently feature the City of Cotati as an event sponsor on all advertising and marketing materials.
Environmental Issues
This action is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) because it is not a project which has a potential for resulting in either a direct physical change in the environment, or a reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment, pursuant to CEQA Guideline section 15378.