Woodbury Working on New Special Events Policy, Guide

Woodbury has had an uptick in events held in town over the past few years.

“I think we just have really nice facilities,” said Mary Van Milligen, assistant to the city administrator.

But extra events also mean extra work for city staff, and Woodbury is crafting a new special events policy and guide to make things easier for everyone involved.

The guide is the backbone of the new policy and outlines insurance information, costs, what services the city will provide, application documents and registration instructions, Van Milligen said. There will also be a new $25 application fee.

The guide itself will take part of the load off city staff, which provided more than $50,000 in in-kind work for events in 2012.

“We just need to keep better track of staff resources,” Van Milligen said.

The city is donating time for four events:

• Lions Club Garage Sale
• Woodbury Citizens’ Academy
• Woodbury Country Mile
• Woodbury Days

There are individual agreements in place for each, with maximum staff hours allocated based on last year’s figures, Van Milligen said.

There are a couple of items to iron out. Staff is working with local groups to finalize vendor fees and sign policy, Van Milligen said. The city’s existing sign policy is fairly strict, she said.

“We don’t want the city cluttered with signs,” Van Milligen said. “But we know it is important to their marketing campaigns.”

The final guide will likely go back to the Woodbury City Council for formal approval in January 2013.

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