In a June 8 posting on the City of Great Bend’s Great Bend City Council Facebook page, an announcement was made regarding updated block party guidelines in advance of the upcoming Fourth of July holiday when many such parties take place.
Under the changes:
• Those wishing to hold such an event must apply with the City for a permit at least five business days in advance.
• Barricades may only block half of the street, allowing enough room for vehicles to pass.
• City-owned barricades must be used and there is a $150 non-refundable rental fee.
However, the announcement came up during the City Council meeting Monday night when Ward 1 Councilwoman Lindsey Krom-Craven said she was unaware of the rules and was caught off guard when constituents contacted her about them.
“The biggest problem is the Facebook page is called Great Bend City Council, giving the perception that the City Council is the one that it’s representing,” she said. “However, I’m finding repeatedly posts are being made without us given any heads up and therefore we’re getting side-slapped by the community when they’re posted and we have no clue that it’s even there.”
She brought up the barricade issue as the most recent example. “I was not even aware that we changed anything on the barricades until it was posted.”
She understands the reasoning behind many of the rules, such as blocking only half the street. But, “I’m not sure that I agree with charging $150 non-refundable to the community that’s trying to do the right thing.”
She said she only knew about the change following a call to Interim City Administrator Logan Burns after she had received calls.
“It was something that was not discussed through council. So it was not a change that we had agreed to,” she said.
“Just so council is aware, that was a decision that Logan and I talked about,” Mayor Cody Schmidt said. They consulted City Attorney Allen Glendenning and looked into city ordinances, determining that such decisions could be made by the administrator without being brought to council.
They wanted to make sure all parties were permitted and the proper barricades with striping were used, he said. And, they wanted to enforce that only half the street was blocked.
First responders need to know where the parties are so they can plan for them when making emergency runs, he said.
“I think as far as you are in the month of June with the Fourth of July just a couple of weeks away that we should probably to stick to our guns and just run with it to see what kind of turnout we get,” Schmidt said.
As for the social media posts, Schmidt said they can revisit that. “You guys are the ones catching the blunt of that and maybe we’re needing to look at that.”
“I can do a better job of that and let you know when stuff is coming out,” Burns said.
