Fremont City Council Meeting: 06/14/22 07:00 PM
3300 Capitol Avenue Div/Dept: Police Department
Fremont, CA 94538 Category: Grants
SCHEDULED
Sponsors:
STAFF REPORT (ID # 4620) DOC ID: 4620
Updated: 6/9/2022 3:43 PM by Alberto Quintanilla Page 1 SPECIAL EVENT SPONSORSHIP PROGRAM – Approve Special Event Sponsorship Awards for FY 2022/23
Contact Persons:
Name: Amy Gee Matthew Snelson
Title: Management Analyst II/Public
Affairs Coordinator
Police Captain
Div/Dept: Police Department Police Department
Phone: 510-790-6967 510-790-6874
E-Mail: [email protected] [email protected]
Executive Summary: The City Council established the Special Event Sponsorship Program (SESP) in 2019 to support local organizations that host large-scale community events. Staff have completed the review and sponsorship award process for the special event organizers who submitted applications for FY 2022/23. Staff is recommending that the City Council approve the special event sponsorship awards described in this report.
BACKGROUND: On December 3, 2019, the Fremont City Council approved the SESP in response to requests for City financial support by special event organizers. FY 2020/21 would have been the first year to implement SESP. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all major events and the sponsorship program were cancelled.
The City reinstated the sponsorship program for FY 2021/22 and City Council approved a total of $250,000 funding for seven special events that applied to the program. Due to impacts of COVID, some events were canceled and/or had a reduction in scale. At the time of this report, several events scheduled to occur in FY 2021/22 have not taken place.
Finances and final reports for these events are available 90 days after the event. It is anticipated that a total of $123,700 of $250,000 approved for FY 2021/22 will be disbursed and/or reimbursed to event organizers for eligible expenses.
In Spring 2022, the City opened the SESP application process for FY 2022/23, with the expectation that all historically established community events in the City will resume at full scale. The City of Fremont permits special events and activities that are consistent with the State and County’s health guidelines.
The FY 2022/23 Proposed Operating Budget includes $300,000 of funding for the SESP.
The SESP establishes eligibility for special events that have previously been permitted and held successfully (“established events”) and that utilize City services. Per the policy, established events may request up to 50% of their overall budget or the total estimated cost for City services, whichever is higher. Sponsorship awards are effective July 1 of each year, contingent upon budget approval.
DISCUSSION/ANALYSIS: The FY 2022/23 special event sponsorship application process was open on February 11, 2022 with a deadline of April 11, 2022. Historically established Staff Report (ID # 4620) Meeting of June 14, 2022
Updated: 6/9/2022 3:43 PM by Alberto Quintanilla Page 2 events were contacted directly regarding the program. Information was also posted on the City’s website, Fremont Connection Newsletter, and social media channels.
Applications Received and Eligibility Review: The City received nine SESP applications. Event dates are subject to change due to staffing needs and/or conflicts with other major functions.
1. Fremont Street Eats (every Friday from July 1 – Oct 21, 2022, and May/June 2023)
2. 4th of July Parade (Monday, July 4, 2022)
3. Festival of Arts (Saturday, August 6 and Sunday, August 7, 2022)
4. Niles Car Shows (Sunday, August 14, 2022 and Sunday, May 21, 2023)
5. Festival of India (Saturday, August 20 and Sunday, August 21, 2022)
6. Niles Antique Fair (Sunday, August 28, 2022)
7. Gurdwara Diwali and New Year’s Eve (Monday, October 24, 2022 and Saturday, December 31, 2022)
8. Festival of Lights (Friday, November 25, 2022)
9. Burger and Brew (Saturday, May 20, 2023)
Applications were reviewed and scored for purposes of establishing eligibility. Staff from five City departments participated in the review process: Police, Economic Development, Community Services (Recreation), Public Works (Transportation Engineering), and Community Development (Planning). Reviewers provided scores and comments on the Narrative/Significance and Financial Capabilities/Event Execution sections of each application. Events with final scores above 7.0 were considered responsive. All nine applicants scored above 7.0 and are eligible for funding.
Sponsorship Award Allocation and Funding Recommendation: Staff used the estimated cost information provided by the applicants to calculate the maximum allocation allowed under the SESP rules: 50% of the overall event budget or the total estimated cost of City services, whichever is greater. The maximum allocation for all applicants totals $872,556.
Funds are initially allocated to each eligible applicant pro-rata based on the estimated cost of City services. City services include, but are not limited to, those provided by Police, Fire, Street Maintenance, Parks and Recreation, and City staff or City-contracted vendors.
Once the cost of City services has been covered for all applicants, any remaining funds are allocated pro-rata based on each applicant’s remaining unfunded 50% of the total event cost.
Using this allocation method, and rounding up to the nearest $100, staff is recommending City Council award the funding amounts shown in the far-right column of the table below.
Special Event Maximum
Allocation
City Services
Cost Estimate
Proposed
Award
4th of July Parade 45,800 28,920 29,000
Fremont Street Eats 32,565 8,580 8,700
Festival of Arts 404,170 116,450 116,700 Festival of India 287,830 77,830 78,100
Niles Car Show 12,770 3,040 3,100
Niles Antique Fair 21,170 21,170 21,200
Staff Report (ID # 4620) Meeting of June 14, 2022
Updated: 6/9/2022 3:43 PM by Alberto Quintanilla Page 3 Gurdwara Diwali & New Years’ Eve 10,740 10,280 10,300 Festival of Lights 19,670 16,240 16,300
Burger & Brew 37,841 16,570 16,600
Total $872,556 $299,080 $300,000
Disbursement of Sponsorship Awards: The SESP is a reimbursement grant that is intended to cover some or all of an event’s City services costs and possibly some portion of the event’s additional costs. After the event has been held, City staff will confirm the actual cost of the City services provided using the hourly rate schedule for special events previously adopted by the City Council. The event’s sponsorship award will be credited against the actual cost of City services. The event organizer is responsible for paying the City any actual costs in excess of the sponsorship award amount.
Event organizers have until 90 days after the event to submit a final report (including a post-event evaluation, attendance estimate, and documentation of actual costs). To the extent the sponsorship award amount exceeds the actual cost of City services, the City will reimburse the event organizer for eligible event-related expenses. Eligible event- related expenses may include City-approved third-party traffic control vendors for street closures, or City facility or rental fees. The combination of credit for the cost of City services and reimbursement for other event-related expenses will not exceed an event’s sponsorship award amount.
FISCAL IMPACT: A General Fund allocation for the SESP in the amount of $300,000 was included in the FY 2022/23 Proposed Operating Budget.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW: The Special Event Sponsorship Program, an administrative government activity, is not subject to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15061(b)(3), in that the activity is covered by the general rule that CEQA applies only to projects which have the potential for causing a significant effect on the environment. Where it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the activity in question may have a significant effect on the environment, the activity is not subject to CEQA. The Special Event Sponsorship Program does not involve the approval of special events or individual projects. Thus, the Special Event Sponsorship Program will clearly not have a significant effect on the environment and CEQA does not apply.
ATTACHMENTS:
• Special Event Sponsorship Program Guidelines and Application
RECOMMENDATION: Allocate FY 2022/23 special event sponsorship awards to the nine eligible events as specified in this report.