Stevensville council tightens special‑event fees, moves power charge to $20 per outlet

The Stevensville Town Council on Feb. 12 adopted Resolution 5‑40a to update the town's fee schedule for special events and park use, including clarifications to power charges and alcohol fees.

The council kept the existing $125 special‑event permit fee and added a $15 administrative renewal fee for events that must be reauthorized every two weeks under the town's current permit code. Council members amended the measure after public comment and technical discussion to change the power‑use charge from a flat $20 per event to $20 per day per outlet (the council discussed the town's portable "spider" distribution boxes and whether to later switch to metered kilowatt‑hour billing when portable meters are available).

"So right now, we're set at $20 per day per event...the recommendation will be $20 per day per panel," a council member said during debate; after an amendment the mayor called the motion to set the fee at $20 per day per outlet and the council recorded unanimous 'Aye' votes for the amendment.

The resolution also clarified the fee for events serving alcohol: the council set a $200 alcohol fee per special‑event permit (written as an additional charge on top of the standard permit where applicable). Town staff said the $15 renewal is intended to cover clerks' time for administrative processing when permits must appear before council periodically under current code.

Council members and several community event organizers, including Sean Boyle of the Civic Club, discussed operational definitions (outlet vs. panel vs. spider box) and the town's plan to pilot portable meters. The council left open the option to move to metered kilowatt‑hour charging once testing is complete.

The council noted the changes were intended to align the resolution with existing municipal code provisions and to prevent longer‑standing inconsistencies that staff discovered during a recent review. The resolution will take effect on adoption; staff will return to council with implementation details and results from meter testing.