Fremont City Council Meeting: 06/13/23 07:00 PM
3300 Capitol Avenue Div/Dept: Police Department
Fremont, CA 94538 Category: Grants
SCHEDULED
Sponsors:
COUNCIL STAFF REPORT (ID # 4900) DOC ID: 4900
Updated: 6/8/2023 3:28 PM by Alberto Quintanilla Page 1 SPECIAL EVENT SPONSORSHIP PROGRAM – Adopt a Resolution Approving Special Event Sponsorship Program Grants for FY 2023/24 Contact Persons:
Name: Amy Gee Matthew Snelson
Title: Public Affairs Manager Police Captain
Div/Dept: Police Department Police Department
Phone: 510-790-6967 510-790-6874
E-Mail: [email protected] [email protected]
Executive Summary: The Fremont City Council ("City Council") established the Special Event Sponsorship Program (SESP) in 2019 to support local organizations that host community events. Staff completed the review and sponsorship award process for special event organizers who submitted applications for FY 2023/24. Staff recommends the City Council adopt a resolution awarding the SESP grants described in this report.
BACKGROUND: In December 2019, the City Council approved the SESP in response to special event organizers' requests for City financial support. Due to COVID, most major events were cancelled in FY 2020/21, and a few events returned in FY 2021/22.
In FY 2022/23, City Council approved $300,000 in funding for nine special events that applied to the program. At the time of this report, final reports for several events occurring in May and June of 2023 are not yet available. Final reports for these events are typically available 90 days after the event. It is anticipated that the total of $300,000 approved for FY 2022/23 will be disbursed and/or reimbursed to event organizers for eligible expenses. Staff contacted award recipients regarding the program, and they ar e grateful for the City's support. With event expenses increasing due to the current state of the economy, many rely on the City's sponsorship to contribute to their events' occurrence and success.
In Spring 2023, the City opened the SESP application process for FY 2023/24, and the FY 2023/24 Proposed Operating Budget includes $300,000 of funding for the SESP. In terms of qualification, the program allows established event organizers that have held successful events in the City, and their events were permitted with the need to utilize City services on the day(s) of the event. The program also allows established event organizers who plan to hire a third-party vendor to provide such services (e.g., hiring a City-approved traffic vendor to conduct road closures). Applicants may request either a) up to 50% of their overall event budget or b) the total estimated cost for City services, whichever is higher.
Sponsorship awards are effective July 1 each year, contingent upon budget approval.
DISCUSSION/ANALYSIS: The FY 2023/24 special event sponsorship application process opened on January 26, 2023, with a deadline of March 29, 2023. The program was advertised on the City's website, the City's Fremont Connection Newsletter, and social media platforms, and Staff reached out to all known eligible event organizers.
Applications Received and Eligibility Review: The City received fourteen SESP Council Staff Report (ID # 4900) Meeting of June 13, 2023 Updated: 6/8/2023 3:28 PM by Alberto Quintanilla Page 2 applications by the deadline. One application was not eligible as the event does not utilize City services. Thirteen applications were further reviewed for sponsorship allocation.
1. 4th of July Parade (Tuesday, July 4, 2023)
2. Fremont Street Eats (every Friday from July 1, 2023-June 30, 2024)
3. Festival of Arts (Saturday, August 5, 2023 and Sunday, August 6, 2023)
4. Niles Car Shows (Sunday, August 13, 2023 and Sunday, May 5, 2024)
5. Festival of India (Saturday, August 19, 2023 and Sunday, August 20, 2023)
6. Niles Antique Fair (Sunday, August 27, 2023)
7. End of Summer Fair (Saturday, September 9, 2023)
8. Olive Festival (Saturday, October 7, 2023 and Sunday, October 8, 2023)
9. Gurdwara Diwali and New Year’s Eve (Sunday, November 12, 2023 and Sunday, December 31, 2023)
10. Festival of Lights (Friday, November 24, 2023)
11. Chanukah Lighting (Sunday, December 10, 2023)
12. Arts Mosaic Fair (Saturday, April 27, 2024)
13. Burger and Brew (Saturday, May 18, 2024)
Applications were reviewed and scored for purposes of funding. Staff from five City departments participated in the review process: Community Development, Community Services, Economic Development, Police, and Public Works. 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 thirteen eligible applications scored above 7.0 and are recommended for funding.
Sponsorship Award Allocation and Funding Recommendation: Staff used the estimated cost information provided by the applicants and City departments to calculate the maximum allocation allowed under the SESP rules: 50% of the overall event budget or 100% of the total estimated cost of City services, whichever is greater. The maximum allocation for all applicants totals $471,853.
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 Community Services, Fire, Police, Street Maintenance, and/or City-approved 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 recommends City Council award the funding amounts shown in the far-right table below. The proposed award is anticipated to cover over 95% of City services estimate for each event.
Special Event Maximum
Allocation
City Services
Cost
Estimate
Proposed
Award
1. 4th of July Parade 40,000 34,600 33,000
2. Fremont Street Eats 21,725 12,700 12,100
3. Festival of Arts 186,038 102,100 97,400
4. Festival of India 95,000 67,500 64,500
5. Niles Car Show 16,000 3,400 3,200
Council Staff Report (ID # 4900) Meeting of June 13, 2023 Updated: 6/8/2023 3:28 PM by Alberto Quintanilla Page 3
6. Niles Antique Fair 30,000 34,800 33,300
7. End of Summer Fair 3,668 3,600 3,400
8. Olive Festival 997 1,000 900
9. Gurdwara Diwali & New Year’s Eve 15,000 10,800 10,300
10. Festival of Lights 22,000 24,700 23,600
11. Chanukah Lighting 5,500 600 600
12. Arts Mosaic Fair 2,450 3,600 3,400
13. Burger & Brew 33,475 15,000 14,300
Total $471,853 $314,400 $300,000
Disbursement of Sponsorship Awards: The SESP is a reimbursement grant intended to cover some or all of an event's City services cost and possibly some of the event's other expenses. After the event has been held, Staff will determine 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, or after final billing details from the City are available, to submit a final report (including a post-event evaluation, attendance estimate, and documentation of actual costs). To the extent the sponsorship award exceeds the actual cost of City services, the City will reimburse the event organizer for eligible event-related expenses, which 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 2023/24 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, which are subject to a separate environmental review and permitting process. Thus, the Special Event Sponsorship Program will clearly not have a significant effect on the environment and CEQA does not apply.
LINKS: https://www.fremont.gov/permits/special-event-permit/special-event-sponsorship
ATTACHMENTS:
• 2023-2024 SESP Guidelines and Application
• Draft Resolution-SESP grants
Council Staff Report (ID # 4900) Meeting of June 13, 2023 Updated: 6/8/2023 3:28 PM by Alberto Quintanilla Page 4 RECOMMENDATION: Adopt a resolution granting the FY 2023/24 Special Event Sponsorship Program awards to the thirteen eligible events as specified in the resolution attached to this report.