HomeMy WebLinkAboutRes 2024-001RESOLUTION NO. 2024-001
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF
PALM DESERT, CALIFORNIA, UPDATING THE
COMMUNITY EVENT SPONSORSHIP POLICY
WHEREAS, the City of Palm Desert (“City”) receives many requests from groups
and organizations for community event sponsorships; and
WHEREAS, the City Council of the City of Palm Desert (“City Council”) has
established a Community Event Sponsorship Policy (“Policy”) to guide staff in their review
and administration of such sponsorship requests; and
WHEREAS, the City Council desires to update the Policy and make it more
consistent with the City’s Outside Agency Funding Program Guidelines.
NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of Palm
Desert, California, as follows:
SECTION 1. Incorporation of Recitals. The City Council finds and determines that
the recitals of this Resolution are true and correct and are hereby incorporated into this
Resolution as though fully set forth herein.
SECTION 2. Community Event Sponsorship Policy. The City Council hereby
approves and adopts the updated Community Event Sponsorship Policy, as attached
hereto as Exhibit “A”.
SECTION 3. Severability. If any section or provision of this Resolution is for any
reason held to be invalid or unconstitutional by any court of competent jurisdiction, or
contravened by reason of any preemptive legislation, the remaining sections and/or
provisions of this Resolution shall remain valid. The City Council hereby declares that it
would have adopted this Resolution, and each section or provision thereof, regardless of
the fact that any one or more section(s) or provision(s) may be declared invalid or
unconstitutional or contravened via legislation.
SECTION 4. Effective Date. This Resolution shall take effect immediately upon
its adoption.
ADOPTED ON JANUARY 25, 2024
KARINA QUINTANILLA
MAYORATTEST:
ANTHONY J. MEJIA
CITY CLERK
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Resolution No. 2024-001 Page 2
I, Anthony J. Mejia, City Clerk of the City of Palm Desert, hereby certify that
Resolution No. 2024-001 is a full, true, and correct copy, and was duly adopted at a
regular meeting of the City Council of the City of Palm Desert on January 25, 2024, by
the following vote:
AYES: HARNIK, KELLY, NESTANDE, TRUBEE, AND QUINTANILLA
NOES: NONE
ABSENT: NONE
ABSTAIN: NONE
RECUSED: NONE
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and affixed the official seal of the
City of Palm Desert, California, on ___________________.
ANTHONY J. MEJIA
CITY CLERK
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1/26/2024
Resolution No. 2024-001 Page 3
Exhibit “A”
Community Event Sponsorship Policy
See following pages.
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CITY OF PALM DESERT
ADMINISTRATIVE PROCEDURES
Subject Community Event Sponsorship Policy
Policy No. CMGR-002
Date Issued: January 25, 2024
Approved by Resolution No. 2024 - 001
I.PURPOSE
The City of Palm Desert’s Community Event Sponsorship Policy (“Policy”) establishes guidelines
for disbursement of funds approved by City Council, as well as in-kind services, to sponsor
community events produced by qualified organizations. This Policy aims to foster a vibrant
community by supporting events that encourage civic engagement, celebrate cultural diversity,
stimulate tourism, drive economic vitality, and uphold public health and sustainability. By
concentrating resources on diverse events that resonate with the City’s character, this Policy
supports Palm Desert’s identity as a vibrant locale for residents and a premier destination for
visitors.
II.SCOPE
A.This policy applies to all City sponsorship support of external community events where the
City provides funds to an outside organization. This policy does not apply to table
sponsorship requests, nor does it apply to the third-party sponsorships of City produced
events.
B.The granting of City funds or in-kind support is evaluated based on the proposed
community event’s impact on the community. Special attention is paid to sponsorships
that promote Palm Desert’s attractiveness as a place to visit and/or live, celebrate the
heritage of the City and its environs, and enrich the character and quality of life of its
residents and visitors.
C.The City is under no obligation to approve a requested sponsorship. The City Council and
City Manager reserve the right to deviate from the policy and criteria contained herein
when they believe it is the City’s best interest to do so.
III.DEFINITIONS
A.“Applicant” means an organization or individual applying for a community event
sponsorship under this Policy.
B.“Community Event” means an occurrence of a local celebration, fundraiser, athletic,
cultural, or educational activity designed to attract a public audience which benefits the
residents and visitors of Palm Desert. (i.e., festival, walk, run, fashion show, concert,
parade, breakfast, luncheon, dinner, etc.)
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C.“Community Sponsorship Subcommittee” is comprised of the Mayor and Mayor Pro
Tem, City Manager, Director of Finance, and the City Manager’s designee(s)
overseeing community event sponsorships.
D.“Outside Agency” means a nonprofit organization that may be eligible to receive City
funding and support to offer programs and services benefiting the City’s residents and
visitors under guidelines and accountability measures implemented by the City’s
Outside Agency/Charitable Contributions Committee.
E.“Recipient” means an organization or individual that is awarded a community event
sponsorship under this Policy.
F.“Sponsorship” means any financial or in-kind support from the City (i.e., City staff time,
public safety services, use of City facilities or property, permit fees, etc.) to the organizing
agency that helps offset the costs of the event operations.
G.“Sponsorship Agreement” means a binding agreement between the City and an
organization or individual to pay a fee, provide services, share products or any
combination thereof, including advertising and promotional opportunities between the City
and an organization or individual.
H.“Table Sponsorship” means a City sponsorship to cover the cost of a table at a non-City
event allowing a group of individuals, often representing the City or involved in City-related
initiatives, to attend the event without incurring individual expenses.
IV.GENERAL REQUIREMENTS, ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA, AND CONDITIONS
A.Failure to comply with this Policy, including misuse of funds, may result in the forfeiture of
funds and disqualification from future requests.
B.All applicants must submit a community event sponsorship application. Applications must
be complete in order to be accepted. Applications must:
1.Describe the organization’s purpose, years of operation, leadership team, and
financial stability;
2.Include the estimated number of people that will attend the community event;
3.Describe the community event and explain how it benefits Palm Desert residents
and visitors;
4.Indicate whether Applicant has received any or will apply for other sponsorships or
sources of funding for the community event, and if so, which ones; and
5.Provide additional information as requested by staff to evaluate compliance with
this Policy.
C.Due to limited resources, not all community event sponsorship requests are funded. The
number of community events that the City sponsors varies annually. The City will evaluate
each request based upon available funds, satisfaction of the eligibility criteria, and
compliance with the application requirements set forth below.
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D.Applicants for community event sponsorships must meet all the following requirements,
eligibility criteria, and conditions:
1.Applicants must independently conduct the community event or collaborate with
another organization to be eligible to receive a sponsorship.
2.The community event must take place within Palm Desert city limits, with limited
exceptions. Reason(s) for not holding the proposed event within Palm Desert city
limits must be stated on the application. Exemption from this requirement will be
provided on a case-by-case basis and will favor activity promoting the City of Palm
Desert as a desirable place to live, visit, and do business.
3. Applicants agree to submit a Special Events Application/Agreement a minimum of
120 days prior to the event, or a Temporary Use Permit (TUP), if applicable.
4.Applicants agree to use sponsorship funds exclusively for the community event
represented in the application.
5.Recipients shall provide the City recognition as a sponsor in exchange for the
sponsorship in a method consistent with other sponsors at the community event.
In no event shall the recognition for the City's sponsorship be less than that
provided to other sponsors who have contributed the same total financial or in-kind
support.
6.Applicants are required to enter a sponsorship agreement with the City and provide
a certificate of liability insurance or proof of self-insurance, if applicable.
7.Community event sponsorship applications are limited to one per year, per
taxpayer identification number.
8.Sponsorships will be approved on a competitive basis and are not guaranteed.
Applicants should be aware that they may not receive the full amount of the
sponsorship requested.
9.Sponsorship approvals are made on an annual basis and shall be considered as
a one-time approval. Approval for sponsorship in one year does not imply or
guarantee that the City will approve sponsorship for the same event or organization
in subsequent years.
10.An official post-community event evaluation form must be submitted to City staff
within ninety (90) days following the conclusion of a sponsored community event.
V.INELIGIBLE ORGANIZATIONS AND ACTIVITIES OR PROJECTS
A.Examples of ineligible organizations or activities include, but are not limited to:
1.Any non-community event request, such as on-going programming or structured
activities. (i.e., classes, performances, procedures, etc.)
2.Private events or events that are not open to the general public.
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3.Discriminatory activities such as those restricted based on a person’s race, religion,
ethnicity, age, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, disability, sexual
orientation, or economic status.
4.A political, politically affiliated, or political action organization or event or activity that
promotes any political viewpoint, provides for a political purpose or causes participants
to engage in or otherwise affiliate or express an endorsement of partisan political
functions or activities.
5.An event or activity that promotes a religious purpose (as opposed to a secular
purpose, such as promoting cultural heritage or community understanding).
6.A private individual for his/her own use.
7. Funds cannot be used for costs, cash prizes, cash awards, salaries, salary
reimbursements, or general budget subsidy.
8.Funds cannot be directly provided to specific individuals, nor may funds be
constructively provided to specific individuals (e.g. using funds to pay for certain
individuals to go to an event is not permitted.) By contrast, using funds to reduce the
overall costs of an event is permitted.
9.An organization receiving Outside Agency funding concurrently (during the same fiscal
year).
10. A K-12 school or school-related groups, as funding requests for schools and school-
related groups shall be processed by the Outside Agency/Charitable Contributions
Committee.
B.No sponsorship shall be granted for community events or to organizations where a conflict
of interest exists. Specifically, City officials, employees, or their immediate family members
shall not receive sponsorship funding for events they are directly involved with or that may
result in personal financial gain. In the event of a potential conflict of interest, officials and
employees are required to disclose such conflicts and recuse themselves from any related
sponsorship decisions. This provision serves to ensure that sponsorship decisions are
made for the sole benefit of the community and are free from personal or private interest
influences.
VI.ASSESSMENT CRITERIA
A.An applicant’s first sponsorship request may total no more than 50% of the community
event budget (if sponsorship includes in-kind, value of the in-kind items may not equal
more than 50% of the event budget).
B.An applicant’s second or subsequent sponsorship request may total no more than 35% of
the community event budget (if sponsorship includes in-kind, value of the in-kind items
may not equal more than 35% of the event budget).
C.Sponsorship requests for a 5K walk/run shall be eligible for a maximum sponsorship of
$2,500.
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D.Special consideration will be given to registered local nonprofit corporations or local 501(c)
organizations with tax-exempt status.
Please note that requesting the allowed percentage does not ensure that the applicant will
receive that percentage, or any, amount. No request is considered approved until it is
approved by the City Council or City Manager. The City Council reserves the right to deviate
from the criteria contained herein when it believes it is the City’s best interest to do so.
VII.FUNDING TIMELINE
The community event sponsorship application period will typically open in January. Once the
application period opens, applicants will be required to submit applications by the posted
deadline for events that will occur in the upcoming program year. A program year runs from
July 1 through June 30. The community event for which a sponsorship is requested must
occur in this timeframe. No sponsorship will be considered for any community event that falls
outside of these dates.
Organizations requesting funding after the application period closes may submit an
application to the City Manager for special consideration. Sponsorships awarded in this
circumstance are rare and are contingent upon (1) available funds remaining in the budget
following disbursement to organizations compliant with this Policy’s annual deadline; and (2)
a finding made by the City Manager that special circumstances prevented the Applicant from
applying for a sponsorship by the required deadline and the community event could not occur
the following year.
VIII.ADMINISTRATION AND ENFORCEMENT OF POLICY
1.The City Council designates the City Manager to administer the Sponsorship Policy. This
delegation is with the power of re-designation to appropriate staff.
2.The City Manager or her/his designee shall review all Sponsorship applications and
determine compliance with this policy.
3.On an as needed basis, the City Manager or her/his designee may refer any community
event sponsorship application directly to the City Council for approval or rejection with a
majority vote.
4.Recipients must comply with all other applicable City, state, and federal laws and
regulations.
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