Reno considers new rules for special events organizers

RENO -- The Reno City Council is considering new rules that would subject special events organizers to penalties if they put on a similar event somewhere else within 45 days of being in Reno.

"If the community nurtures an event, we would want our homegrown events to stay here," Cadence Matijevich, city special events manager, told council members last week.

Under a proposal being discussed, the penalty would equal half the money received from the city under their sponsorship agreement.

Sponsorship money is used to help offset costs of city services charged for police, fire and public works.

Council members asked for the policy after organizers of Hot August Nights, the city's biggest special event, announced plans to expand to Southern California next summer. The event in Long Beach will be held a week before the Reno event, and this year events were expanded to include South Lake Tahoe.

Special events are key to Reno's tourism economy.

Councilwoman Jessica Sferrazza has put negotiating a five-year contract with Hot August Nights to stay in Reno on the council agenda for Aug. 25..

The council also is considering how far to limit competition for city-sponsored events. Matijevich proposed restricting organizers from putting on similar events within 1,200 miles of Reno, to cover all the West.

But council members considered that too restrictive and want a smaller distance set.