Fremont City Council Meeting: 02/13/24 07:00 PM
3300 Capitol Avenue Div/Dept: Police Department
Fremont, CA 94538 Category: Fees & Rates
SCHEDULED
Sponsors:
COUNCIL STAFF REPORT (ID # 5081) DOC ID: 5081
Updated: 2/9/2024 9:40 AM by Alberto Quintanilla Page 1 SPECIAL EVENT STAFF CHARGES MASTER FEE SCHEDULE UPDATE - Public Hearing (Published Notice) to Adopt a Resolution Amending the Master Fee Schedule to Change City Staff Charges for Special Events Contact Persons:
Name: Amy Gee David Persselin
Title: Public Affairs Manager Finance Director
Div/Dept: Police Department Finance Department
Phone: 510-790-6967 510-494-4631
E-Mail: [email protected] [email protected]
Executive Summary: Upon review by relevant City departments, including Fire, Police, and Public Works, it was determined that revisions to the Master Fee Schedule are needed to amend special event staff charges to align with current staff costs.
BACKGROUND: Special event staff charges (Master Fee Schedule Article 1. General and Miscellaneous, Section 001.00000.3390, bullet C) for Fire, Police, and Public Works employees have remained unchanged since July 1, 2020. Recently, staff from Police, Fire, Public Works, and Community Services reviewed staff costs for special events. City staff recommends the City Council revise special event staff charges to align with the cost of anticipated future services provided by the City.
City staff have notified event organizers who have been billed for City services in the past four years about these proposed changes. On November 9, 2023, a public information session regarding the City’s Special Event Sponsorship Program took place and provided a brief overview of possible fee increases to City service costs. On January 4, 2024, an email outlining the proposed changes was sent to the event organizers, indicating this item was coming before the City Council for approval and another public information session would be held. On January 16, a reminder email was sent. On January 17, 2024, a second public information session was held to discuss the special event staff charges and the City’s special event sponsorship program.
DISCUSSION/ANALYSIS: The current Special Event Staff charges for Fire, Police, and Street Maintenance workers have been in effect since July 1, 2020. During the past four years, rates remained unchanged due to COVID-19 and other economic uncertainties. While costs for City services have continued to rise in recent years, billing practices have remained focused on affordability for event organizers.
City staff calculated the average salary of positions involved in special event services:
1. Police Officer and Sergeant
2. Police Dispatch* – Dispatcher and Dispatch Supervisor
3. Police Other – Senior Community Service Officer, Community Service Officer, Parking Compliance, and Reserve Officer
4. Fire Medic – Fire Captain, Fire Engineer and Firefighter Council Staff Report (ID # 5081) Meeting of February 13, 2024 Updated: 2/9/2024 9:40 AM by Alberto Quintanilla Page 2
5. Fire Inspector – Fire Prevention Inspector, Senior Fire Prevention Inspector, Hazardous Materials Inspector, and Senior Hazardous Materials Inspector
6. Maintenance** – Maintenance Field Supervisor and Maintenance Worker I/II
Positions Current Hourly Rates
(as of 7/1/2020)
New Proposed Rates
(Effective 7/1/2024)
Police Officer/Sergeant $ 93.78 $118.40
Police Other (CSO/Parking
Compliance/Reserve Officer)* 66.45
66.55 Police – Dispatch 88.06
Fire – Medic 61.42 86.78
Fire - Inspector 117.04 97.50
Maintenance** 59.49 69.43
*Staff noted the need to create a new category of “Police – Dispatch” to better reflect the costs of dispatch workers who may be required to work at special events.
**Staff noted that the category of “Street Maintenance” should be renamed to “Maintenance” to better reflect the work that may be performed by maintenance workers from various city departments at appropriate locations, such as facilities, parking lots, parks, etc. in addition to work performed on streets.
Please note there is an additional category of special event staff - Public Service Assistant (PSA) at $25 per hour – these are workers who may provide other assistance as needed. No changes are proposed to the PSA rate.
Other Costs Associated with Special Events (Not Billed) The proposed rates only represent the average hourly rate of certain city staff on the day of the special event. The rates do not include costs to the City before and after an event, including planning, debriefing, and other implicit costs that cannot easily be calculated.
These costs include:
• On-duty traffic officers and police command staff on the day of the event • Staff time for administrative review of special event application (1-2 hours) • Staff time for Special Event Committee Meeting (1-hour meeting with the event organizer involving 10-15 City staff from various City departments) • Staff time for follow-up planning and meeting regarding safety, road closure, and action plans for the event (2-3 hours each for 4-6 staff members for Police, Fire, and Street Maintenance)
• Staff time for reviewing final documents and issuance of special event permit (1-2 hours)
• Cost of any vehicles or equipment usage, including wear and tear. These include Police, Fire, and Maintenance vehicles, barricades, cones, delineators, waste streamers, storm drain covers, and other equipment the City provides to the event at no additional costs.
• Cost of fuel for any City vehicles involved.
• Increased risks and frequency of work-related injuries, which impact insurance and workers' compensation.
Council Staff Report (ID # 5081) Meeting of February 13, 2024 Updated: 2/9/2024 9:40 AM by Alberto Quintanilla Page 3 The above costs cannot be easily tracked per event and are not billed to the event organizer. However, the City may consider these implicit costs when making special event billing decisions.
Most major events are eligible for the City’s Special Event Sponsorship Program and are awarded a sponsorship once they complete the application process. The cost of City service staff, including any potential increases, is being offset by the City’s sponsorship program. In recent years, the sponsorship program has covered most, if not all, of City service costs for special events.
The fee increase will better represent the cost and extent of City services provided for special events. The increase will also help to accurately budget for staff costs and the City’s special event sponsorship program.
FISCAL IMPACT: Adopting proposed changes to the Master Fee Schedule will result in changes in charges assessed for special events services, effective July 1, 2024.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW: Updates to Special Events and Parades Ordinance and amendments to City staff service charges for Special Events are an administrative government activity that is not subject to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to CEQA Guidelines section 15378 and 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. Since it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the proposed amendments may have a significant effect on the environment, the activity is not subject to CEQA.
LINKS: City of Fremont Current Master Fee Schedule:
https://www.fremont.gov/government/departments/finance/master-fee-schedule
ATTACHMENTS:
• Draft Resolution -Amend Master Fee Schedule Special Events
RECOMMENDATION: Adopt a resolution amending the Master Fee Schedule for Special Event Staff Charges as outlined in the attached resolution .