Want to hold a special event in Newport News? It’s going to cost you

For years, the city of Newport News has fronted costs for parades and festivals — even those not sponsored by the city.

Not anymore.

The Newport News City Council narrowly voted Tuesday to change the special events permit ordinance because the city had been paying for labor and equipment for activities it didn’t host.

Three council members — Marcellus Harris, David Jenkins and Tina Vick — opposed the change because they were concerned the additional cost will discourage people and organizations from hosting events in the city.

“I think with city revenues up, it’s a poor time to create new fees,” Jenkins said during an informal council meeting Tuesday. “Many of these events make Newport News a great place to live — this ordinance will affect not just the big events, but also small events.”

Harris said some events that will be affected, such as Denbigh Day and the Southeast Community Day Parade and Festival, have had a long history of bringing joy and pride to the city.

Denbigh Day has been going on for more than 60 years and the Southeast Community Day Parade and Festivalfor more than 30.

Andrew Shannon, who hosts Southeast Community Day, tried to organize a protest against the ordinance ahead of Tuesday night’s meeting, but it didn’t come to fruition.

City manager Cindy Rohlf said Newport News was “pretty much the only city in the region” that did not require event organizers to pay for the city’s costs, which meant that it attracted for-profit groups from outside the city because of the lower cost. The city did not want to pay for private organizations to make a profit.

“I can tell you that the city has, and will continue, to support community groups,” Rohlf said.

She plans to work with the council to create one or two city-sponsored events in the city’s three districts. That may mean creating entirely new events or offering city sponsorship to some existing events.

In 2019 — the last year before the pandemic — the city spent more than $292,000 on engineering and police costs for 77 events. Of those, only 11 were hosted by the city, according to a presentation by Assistant City Manager Ralph Clayton.

The revised ordinance doesn’t mean any existing events have to stop; it just means organizers will be responsible for paying all associated costs.

Non-city events will now be divided into two main categories: limited events and expanded events.

Limited events are happenings such as weddings, block parties and reunions that do not require traffic control and do not affect major roads. These events will just need to pay the permit fee.

Expanded events are affairs such as parades, races and carnivals that require city staff and a traffic control plan. For these, organizers have two options — use a previously approved traffic plan at no additional cost or pay for a new one developed by a private certified traffic service.

Organizers will also need to pay for police staffing that the city deems necessary for the event and any equipment borrowed from the city, such as portable bathrooms.

Jessica Nolte, 757-912-1675, jnolte@dailypress.com