Rules for Holding Block Parties Change

Organizers of block parties from now on will have to show that they have the support of most of the community before they can get a city permit.

A petition with signatures from 67% of residents on the block will have to be presented to the Public Works Department before the city will consent to the party. That is up from the 51% previously required for a block party permit.

Each property on a block is given one vote. The party organizer must also collect $50 for the permit. Those rules will not change.

Public Works Director Donald K. Jensen said the city decided to change the requirements after an incident last year put the department in a predicament.

One block of 15 homes was split evenly on whether to have a Fourth of July party. The resident who would have been the swing vote did not want to offend either side, so the household signed both petitions: pro and con.

That will not be possible under the new provisions.

“We feel that 67% of residents will show that a majority really supports the permit,” Jensen said.

The new rules also establish an appeal process for those who feel they have been treated unfairly. Piqued residents can now go to the city manager for redress.