Larkspur puts a price on exclusive use of its parks — with a waiver built in at the last minute

The week's only public meeting produced the week's only real policy, and it was a substantial one: a fee schedule and a rulebook for anyone who wants to take a piece of Larkspur's park system out of public circulation for an afternoon. Under Resolution 11-26, special events drawing 250 or more attendees will pay roughly $500 an hour at Piper Park and $300 an hour at the smaller large-park venues. The companion Resolution 13-26 defines which spaces at Piper, Nan, Greenbrae School and Heatherwood parks are reservable and sets thresholds for security, composting and site plans, while restricting eligibility to Larkspur-based community organizations. City staples — Music in the Park, the egg hunt, the pumpkin patch and Nightlights — are exempt. All of it passed unanimously by voice vote.

“The target of this policy is not Mr. Resident of Larkspur. This is for organizations that want to take a piece of public space out of public use for a period of time and have exclusive use, potentially doing fundraising and charging admission.”— City staff, explaining the new park special event fees

Staff were careful to say who this is and isn't aimed at, drawing a line between a family birthday picnic and a ticketed fundraiser. Council members did the arithmetic out loud anyway: one asked what happens to an event running four to six o'clock that also needs setup time, noting "that's $1,000 because that's two hours." Another credited staff for taking the proposal to the Parks Commission back in October and coming back with the commission's suggestions folded in.

The most consequential change came from the dais. Mayor Andre pushed for flexibility — "Maybe we should put something in here where it gives you latitude to waive fees for schools or events where they're not charging an entrance fee to attendees" — and the policy was amended to give the Recreation Director discretion to waive or reduce fees for schools and nonprofits that don't charge admission. Staff suggested a middle path in those cases: bill the hourly rate of the public works employee who has to show up. Recreation Director Nick Stone noted school groups already send custodians in afterward, and the park typically comes back cleaner than they found it.

The bounce house gets an outlet — and the city gets a single vendor

The smallest item on the agenda was the most vivid. Under Resolution 12-26, renters at the Piper Park picnic areas will pay $50 for a half day and $75 for a full day to plug an inflatable into city electrical hookups, retiring the gas generators that have powered them until now.

“One of my more humiliating stories at a music in the park was when the generator ran out of gas and everything kind of just stopped.”— Nick Stone, Recreation Director

Recreation Director Nick Stone made the case from experience. Staff also framed the change as an enforcement tool: "One of the complaints we get are that somebody has brought in a bounce house from some random vendor with no permit or rental ticket associated with that bounce house."

The resolution also moves the city to an exclusive vendor arrangement, in part to control who holds keys to the locked electrical breakers. Vice Mayor Poulson suggested lining up two trusted vendors for backup, calling it a minor point. It passed unanimously.

'It's not storms': a resident tells Council the flood money is pointed the wrong way

Before the park items, resident Ross Aselstein used the open comment period to make an argument the Council will likely hear again. He urged the city to direct the roughly $7.8 million remaining in flood district grant funds toward tidal flooding mitigation rather than storm-focused projects, and called for updated flood maps reflecting a foot of sea level rise over 20 years.

“The entirety of Larkspur, Kentfield, Greenbrae, and unincorporated's problem is tide. It's not storms, and it's going to go up by a foot.”— Ross Aselstein, in public comment

No action was taken — it was a non-agenda item — but Vice Mayor Poulson, who works on Flood Zone 9, said he was well aware of the concerns and welcomed residents passionate enough to make the Council think. It's the kind of comment that tends to resurface when the next capital project list comes around.