WESTBROOK — City councilors are rethinking a proposal to charge groups to hold events on city property after bring told such fees could jeopardize long-standing events, such as Westbrook Together Days, Halloween on Main Street and Kiwanis skate night.

The fee proposal was set for final council action last week, but was punted back to the committee of the whole for further review after longtime Chamber of Commerce member Ed Symbol and Westbrook Kiwanis past president Matt Brenner argued the fees would make holding their popular, nonprofit events cost-prohibitive.

Councilor Anne Peoples said she supported the additional review along with opening the conversation to others in an effort to “prevent against unintended consequences.”

“We got a little bit ahead of our skis on this one,” she said.

City Administrator Jerre Bryant said the committee of the whole will review the event fee proposal again, most likely in mid-July, and invite community groups that frequently hold events in the city to be part of that discussion.

As it stands now, the permit fee would require event organizers to pay a $500 refundable security deposit to hold their event on town property,  a $200 application fee regardless of the size of the event, a $25 per day charge if electricity is needed, and a $25 portable restroom fee if more than 150 people are expected. Event organizers would also be expected to pay an administration/staff fee to cover the cost of public service and public safety employees who help set up or work at the event.

Symbol, a 20-year member and past president of the Westbrook/Gorham Community Chamber of Commerce and owner of Full Court Press,  said the fees would make it more difficult for the Chamber of Commerce to hold its events in the city, including Halloween on Main Street, the Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony and Westbrook Together Days.

The fee could also be cost-prohibitive for the Westbrook Kiwanis Club to hold its events, including its skate night and annual Kiwanis Relays, a track meet that serves as a fundraiser for scholarships. The Rotary Club of Westbrook-Gorham’s annual Christmas tree sale in the Mechanic Street parking lot, Discover Downtown Westbrook events, 5K road races and other events could also be impacted.

Symbol told the council there should be a distinction regarding who is holding the event and whether that person is a city resident and if he or she represents a non-profit busienss. The ambiguity of the administration/staff fee is also a concern, he said.

“I’d like to have a little deeper conversation on how things are going to be charged and whether we are going to continue collaborating with the city and the city with us on the four or five events we put on,” Symbol said.

Brenner said charging Kiwanis to hold an event on city property will make it difficult to continue offering them. The club’s public skate night on a rink next to the Westbrook Armory on Stroudwater Street is not a large money maker for the club, he said, but rather an event put on for the community. It typically brings in about $60 .

“You will be denting an already almost non-existent budget for a non-profit,” he said.

Bryant said the concerns he has heard are not been about the application fees in general, but focus on the staff/administration fee.

“The issue is there are some organizations that get a significant contribution from the city in terms of resources. and the fear is this would jeopardize that,” Bryant said.

The city, for example, provides public safety, such as a police presence, and public services, such event cleanup, to Westbrook Together Days and Halloween on Main Street, two longstanding traditions in the city.

“There was concern (the fee) would change that, but that was never the intent of the initiative,” Bryant said.

Brenner said bringing other groups to the table for event permit fee discussion “will make a difference.”

The permit system was devised by the city’s  “event permit team” after reviewing the impact of events on city resources. The team, formed a year ago, convenes representatives from public safety, planning and code enforcement, public services, community services and the city clerk’s office, weekly to discuss events scheduled in the city and what city services would be needed.

City Planner Jennie Franceschi, a committee member, said the event permit process was intended to ensure “the council understands the cost of putting on events on public property.”

Franceschi said the application does contain a provision that states the city has the power to waive the permit fees.

“Some of those longstanding events would be considerations,” she said.

Bryant said the council would make the final determination about whether the fee gets waived on a case by case basis.

“Part of the challenge is if you are going to start charging people, how do you do it in a fair and equitable way,” he said.

Bryant said he is “no fan of the application fee,” but sees a need for the city to determine whether required city resources are paid for by the event holder or they city.

City Clerk Angela Holmes said the committee struggled with how to charge event holders for the costs accrued by the city departments and how to accommodate waiver requests.

Bringing the various departments to the table to talk about how to support event requests, she said, has been nothing but a positive thing.

” What it has allowed us to do is really coordinate the resources we have between departments to help enable the vision of the people who want to have an event in Westbrook,” she said.

Councilor Gary Rairdon said the new approach has helped him better organize his Westbrook Strong 5K, an annual road race he puts on in memory of his son.

Nevertheless Councilor Victor Chau said better clarity is needed. Chau said he  has heard from residents who were confused about whether they needed a permit to play soccer or to hold a small wedding in the park. The events that need a permit, however, are those are are demanding exclusive of a park or public space.

Michael Kelley can be reached at 781-3661 x 125 or [email protected] or on Twitter @mkelleynews

Members of the Westbrook/Gorham Chamber of Commerce are worried what the possible introduction of event permit fees might mean for the events the group holds on city property, including Westbrook Together Days, the tree lighting in Riverbank Park and Halloween on Main Street (seen in 2014). The committee of the whole is taking up the issue again next month. (File photo)