Workshop on festival permit Tuesday

A rewrite of the Douglas County festival permit ordinance will be the topic of a workshop 6 p.m. Tuesday at the CVIC Hall in Minden.

Spurred by conflicts over the Genoa Candy Dance, a revision of the ordinance was delayed by commissioners after other organizations who would be affected raised their concerns.

The ordinance would apply to such events as Carson Valley Days and the Minden Street Fair, in addition to Candy Dance.

The county's ordinance was written in the 1970s to prevent a Woodstock-style festival. It contains several provisions such as a requirement for one parking spot for every two people expected to attend, which have not been enforced in many cases.

Genoans have pressed the county to enforce the ordinance against private festivals they felt were competing against the town's annual fundraiser.

At a town meeting, Commission Chairwoman Nancy McDermid said the board didn't feel there had been enough input from organizations who conduct festivals in the county.

"There was strong opposition to the way it was written," she said. "The people who are most directly affected needed to be involved."

Genoans asked that they be exempted from the ordinance, which in its initial draft also exempted the Douglas County Parks & Recreation Department. Board members voted to prepare a resolution, but then backed off after the county decided to delay approval of the ordinance.

McDermid pointed out that the ordinance is 38 years old and would be difficult to enforce to the letter.

A copy of the current ordinance, draft ordinance, and information about the ordinance and proposed changes will be found on the front page of the Douglas County Web site www.douglascountynv.gov on Friday.

For information call 782-9821.