Board approves events fees
By Steve Herring
Published in News on December 6, 2016 9:57 AM
Organizers of most special events attracting 500 or more people in Wayne County will now have to secure a permit from the county.
They will be required as well to pay a fee to cover the cost of county any law enforcement and emergency medical personnel needed on the scene.
The ordinance does not apply to any special events inside the corporate limits of a municipality, but does include the extra-territorial jurisdictions surrounding a municipality.
No one spoke during a Monday morning public hearing before Wayne County commissioners on the county's special events ordinance, but commissioners had questions of their own.
For the most part the questions surrounded how the 500-person threshold had been reached and concerns that the fees amounted to double taxation.
However, that did not stop the board from unanimously adopting the ordinance and fee schedule.
County Attorney Borden Parker said the only questions he had fielded following a Sunday News-Argus article on the ordinance were if it was a way for the county to make money through fees.
"I assured everybody that this was just trying to cover the cost and that it was not a money-making project," he said.
The board also added an exception to the ones already in the ordinance -- events sponsored by local, state or federal government agencies, or schools located in Wayne County; regular church or worship activities or events; businesses holding events in venues designated to hold large numbers of people and where there is already a safety and emergency plan approved by the county.
The board added gatherings sponsored by recognized political parties or candidates to the list of exceptions.
"However, notice of such gatherings must be given at least four days in advance to the Wayne County Planning Department so they can inform those agencies (law enforcement and emergency medical services)," County Planner Chip Crumpler said.
Along with county planning for such an event the ordinance requirements allow the state Department of Transportation time to plan for potential traffic issues, Crumpler said.
All applications for covered event permits must be made through the Wayne County Planning Department, he said.
A completed application must be submitted for each planned event and must be submitted no less than 30 business days prior to the date of the covered event.
Covered events must meet the state building code, national electric code and Americans With Disabilities requirements.
There is no cost to apply for a permit, but event organizers could be responsible for the cost of law enforcement and EMS provided by the county, Crumpler said.
The approved fees are:
* $20 per hour to be paid directly to county personnel involved in traffic control, event security, fire safety, medical safety or other facility and/or event support
* ambulance standby, $41.50 per hour
* quick response vehicle standby, $25.50 per hour
* law enforcement vehicle, $19.75 per hour.
The equipment fees are based on Federal Emergency Management Agency reimbursement fees, County Manager George Wood said.
Payment would be required prior to the event being held.
In some cases no additional services may be needed so there would be no additional costs to organizers, Crumpler said.
Commissioners Ray Mayo and Ed Cromartie said they did not like the idea of charging county residents a fee since they already pay taxes.
Mayo said that was what he was hearing in the community.
Commissioner Joe Gurley said the ordinance fees basically are for groups that charge a gate fee and make a profit.
It also gives the county advanced notice of pending events so that the county has time to plan instead of having to call in extra law enforcement and/or emergency medical personnel at the last minute, he said.
It is a matter of safety and planning, Crumpler said.
Commissioner Joe Daughtery asked how 500 had become the "magic number."
The working group that studied the ordinance looked at numbers that "bounced around" from 250 all the way to 1,000 before settling on 500 as a compromise, Crumpler said.
But it is not just the number that is important, Wood said. An event's impact on the county also depends on its location, he said.
"You might have a need for traffic officers before you would have a need necessarily for EMS," Wood said. "So it really depends on the circumstances, the location, how many entrances and exits that you have and those types of things. So it really has to be done on a case-by-case basis.
"I think that is why we looked at the number we looked at. We could foresee that if you had 500 people that depending on certain situations, that you may in fact need officers. The fees only come into account if the extra manpower is required. You may have more than 500 people and will have to get a permit, but that does not equate that we are going to charge you anything because depending on the location, the geography and that sort of thing if you are able to handle that (number) without requiring additional manpower there, then we are not going to charge you for that."
Any violations will be subject the offender to a civil penalty of $500 for the first offense and $1,000 for a second and any subsequent offenses.
Each day of violation will constitute a separate offense. The county could file a civil suit if the civil penalties are not paid within 20 days after being cited.