City may stand on special event ordinance

FORT MADISON – What was expected to be a heavy conversation around whether the city should charge special events fees turned into much ado about nothing.
Fort Madison City Manager Laura Liegois said she put the issue on a work session agenda early Tuesday evening because she had heard from several city staff and elected officials that there were disagreements in how special event permit fees are handled.
The city received 34 special event applications in 2024 and received waiver requests from 33 of the applicants. The city waived those 33 requests which amounted to $14,964. The city also incurred $44,574 in expenses related to the Tri-State Rodeo. To balance out those costs the city moved $59,538 from the Hotel/Motel funds to city coffers.
“We provide services as a city for our residents and events, and maybe it’s a conversation about what event where provides a service and there is no fee, and what events we provide services for that we do have a fee,” Liegois said.
“The Hotel/Motel tax can be used in helping with promotional events, but also recreation. Rodeo is a huge tourism piece to the city. But it has to be used by what’s in the code and then outlined by city. I would not recommend you not use those funds for rodeo. The rodeo is a different horse,” she said.
Former Fort Madison Police Chief Mark Rohloff created the ordinance because of the real costs the city police department incurs helping patrol special events. He said the city incurs about $70 per hour per officer because officers at those events are usually working overtime.
“I pirated it from other cities in Iowa. What prompted that was a conversation with the city’s insurer about our liability around things that should be done under my purview, specifically parades,” Rohloff said. Rohloff is staying on with the city temporarily to help with the transition of new Chief Cody Potthast.
“I don’t think there’s any disagreement. All the necessary elements are in place and, with the ordinance itself, there is no issue. What we bump into is when we start talking about fees,” he said.
The city has the option of waiving the fees if the organization putting on the event comes to the city and requests a waiver of the fees.
“The City has an escape clause if they don’t want to charge the fees, but billing your Hotel/Motel tax for that is robbing from something else,” Rohloff said.
“This is a very fair and upfront ordinance and it stands on its own.”
Fort Madison Mayor Matt Mohrfeld asked the council if they still want to take up events on a case-by-case basis with the option of waiving fees.
“If so, how do we pick and choose what fees we waive?”
Councilwoman Angela Roller agreed with the mayor saying she didn’t want to be the one who waived 50 requests and then tells one group their event wasn’t valuable enough to waive the fee.”
Roller also said the application process is very long. Fort Madison Chamber of Commerce coordinator Savanna Collier agreed.

“I just want this to be easier. This is what’s holding a lot of people back. If there’s potential to shorten this form somehow, I would be willing to do that.  I know there’s people not holding events because they don’t want to fill this out.”
Mohrfeld said he even questioned requiring insurance waivers or fees because, if the event is held on city property, its already insured.
“The frisbee golf tournaments are held in city parks. We own those and have them for frisbee golf, but when we have the tournaments, we hold them to insurance when in reality that’s what we have the parks for,” he said.
Councilman Rusty Andrews said the fees should be aimed at hard costs, not just simple routine city services.
“What are the hard costs.  OT is a hard cost, but is delivering seven cones really screwing up the street department’s day? That’s Hotel/Motel money that could be used in other ways,” Andrews said.
He also said the long application process has a chilling effect on those wanting to hold events in town.
“Someone comes in to City Hall wanting to put on an event and they get handed that and told to come back with it filled out,” Andrews said.
“I think we can be more friendly and say, ‘Thanks for putting on an event. How can we help you?’”
Roller agreed the application can be daunting and itemized.
“My issue is that we go to great lengths to have this itemized list for what it costs and then every event that’s up here we waive the fees. I’m not saying I’m for charging people, but if we have it and never use it, I don’t want to be in a position where we say yes to 20 people and then someone comes up and we say, 'well your event isn’t worth waiving'.”
The council also approved a list of five-year goals and the city’s visioning and mission statements while in the work session.
During the regular council session, the council:
• gave unanimous support to City Manager Laura Liegois’ hiring of Chad Hannum as the city’s next Fire Chief effective May 1, 2025.
• voted 6-0, to publish notice of the City Council’s intent to fill the vacancy created by current Councilman Kevin Rink’s resignation in February, by appointment.
• voted 6-0, to reappoint Dianna Holmes to the Historic Preservation Commission to a term expiring Dec. 31, 2027.