Council delays parade-route change after police warn of safety and staffing risks

Council members debated changing the city's Memorial Day parade route, with several saying they preferred returning the procession downtown and others warning it would be unsafe to alter the route with little time to plan.

"The issue with planning a new route this late in the game is... safety and security," the police chief told the council, emphasizing limited officer availability, traffic-control needs and the logistical difficulty of safely staging participants and protecting spectators. He said moving the route now would add dozens of driveways and intersections that require traffic-control coverage and could risk participants' safety.

Multiple council members said they support moving the parade downtown in principle but agreed that short lead time makes it unrealistic this year. One council member moved that the recreation commission study and propose a new downtown route for next year; the motion was amended to ask the rec commission to take up the matter in November and to return recommendations to council.

Council and staff noted challenges including volunteer and staff bandwidth, placement of barricades and cones, and the need for additional police staffing. City staff and the police chief suggested that a route change should be planned well in advance and coordinated with neighboring jurisdictions that might lend officers for traffic control.