Agenda - Council - 07/14/2020 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home

stated that there may be employees on leave due to COVID and therefore she would want to keep things scaled back as much as possible. Parks and Assistant Public Works Superintendent Riverblood believed that some fun and memorable recreation events could be developed. He stated that the benefit of spreading events over a longer time is that weather is not as impactful. He recognized that the priority would be normal staffing duties with the recreation events coming second. Councilmember Riley stated that obviously Happy Days does not receive the same priority as elections and union negotiations. He stated that there are some churches that have been involved in the past and perhaps those organizations can assist in the planning and organization. Communications and Events Coordinator Thorstad commented that the churches are involved in the festival but most of their sponsorship and assistance occurs the day of and not in the planning process. She agreed that perhaps the partnerships could be strengthened to provide additional assistance. Councilmember Musgrove asked if the churches were still willing to participate. Communications and Events Coordinator Thorstad commented that she spoke with a few representatives from the churches and one was very reluctant to participate in the Expo element. She stated that the other church typically sponsors the kids tent and inflatables, which are things that cannot be done safely. Councilmember Heinrich stated that she thinks it is a great idea to strengthen the partnerships. She stated that if the typical elements cannot occur, those churches might need ideas on things that they could do to help. City Administrator Ulrich used the example of the Storybook Walk that one of the churches assisted with recently. Councilmember Kuzma commented on the timeline and effort necessary to get things done. He stated that he would be concerned with placing too much work on staff. Mayor LeTourneau agreed that staff needs to feel confident coming forward and stating that they could not handle any more duties throughout this process. Councilmember Menth asked if there are funds that could be slid around for limited events. Communications and Events Coordinator Thorstad commented that the $12,000 that the City contributes annually would be the only potential funding. She noted that the other funding is fully funded by sponsorships. Mayor LeTourneau confirmed the consensus of the Council to cautiously move forward with the staffing and budget constraints. City Council Work Session / June 23, 2020 Page 4 of 7