Public safety committee forwards five special-event permit recommendations — including recovery-focused "ravypaw" — to council

The City of Monroe Public Safety Committee on the morning of the meeting voted to forward five special-event permit applications to the common council for final approval.

The committee heard a presentation for an inaugural recovery-focused event the organizer said is pronounced "ravypaw," proposed for Aug. 6–9 at the Greene County Fairgrounds. The presenter (identified in the transcript only as the event organizer) said the gathering is intended for sober young people and affiliated with Alcoholics Anonymous; programming will include music and dancing, family-friendly activities and panels for participants to "share their experience, strength, and hope." The organizer said promotional outreach has been placed online and at local AA clubhouses, with many attendees expected from the Madison and Milwaukee areas. "We like to have fun too," the organizer said, describing the event as both recovery-focused and celebratory.

The committee also considered four other applications and moved each forward:
- Faith Addiction Awareness run/walk, proposed to begin in the SSM Health parking lot on Aug. 22 from about 8:00–10:30 a.m. Staff said police and fire reviewed the route and raised no concerns.
- Monroe Bible Churches community worship service and potluck at Twining Park, proposed for Sunday, Aug. 16, roughly 10:30 a.m.–3:00 p.m.; the churches listed in the packet include Monroe Bible Church, Hope E Free Church and Redemption Church, and the shelter has been reserved through parks and rec.
- City of Monroe Police Department’s Police Night Out at Twining Park on July 28 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.; police and fire reported no issues with the event, which brings multiple departments together for public outreach.
- A Park & Rec–sponsored car show and movie-in-the-park at Twain Park on Aug. 14 from about 4 p.m. to 10 p.m.; police reported no concerns.

Each motion to forward the applications was seconded and the clerk recorded roll-call votes. The explicit roll-call entries in the transcript record affirmative votes that moved each item to the common council for final action.

Why it matters: forwarding these applications places the final decision with the common council, and the events will draw public-safety resources and use city park and right-of-way assets. The committee noted prior cancellations for events such as Police Night Out and suggested including a rain date for outdoor programming.

The committee did not take final action to approve or deny any permit at this meeting; it recommended all five items be considered by the common council.