Commission approves clarifying edits to partnership and fee‑waiver policy; staff waiver authority set at $2,000

Christy Hubacher reviewed proposed clarifying edits to the partnership and fee‑waiver policy first established on Dec. 4, 2024. Key procedural changes include requiring applicants to list anticipated space, equipment, staffing and time needs in initial requests and a requirement that ongoing or recurring organizations submit an annual report summarizing participants, revenue and benefits to the city.

Hubacher said staff may approve fee waivers of up to "$2,000 per organization per year" and clarified that the approval limit applies only to the waiver amount and not the total value of a facility-use agreement. The proposed policy also sets a total combined annual cap on fee waivers of $100,000; requests exceeding limits would be presented to the commission.

Commissioner Andrew Smith asked for further data cohorting by event type (fundraiser vs. community benefit) and suggested revisiting the $100,000 cap. After discussion, Commissioner (Speaker 2) moved to approve the edits, Speaker 4 seconded, and the motion passed with three votes in favor and one abstention. Commissioner Andrew Smith (Speaker 3) recorded an abstention after offering feedback about categorizing waivers by event type.

"Total combined fee waivers and reductions granted to organizations may not exceed a $100,000 per fiscal year," Hubacher said during her presentation, and later noted prior-year totals: FY24–25 approved $81,625.25; FY25–26 approved $77,806.17; current fiscal-year approvals totalled $31,256.50 at the time of the report.

The commission instructed staff to work with Commissioner Smith offline to analyze waiver archetypes and bring back any recommended policy refinements after more data are collected.