The Vacaville City Council is expected to meet Tuesday evening to discuss the Entertainment Zone Pilot Program, changes to the city’s fee structure, a budget study session, the Victory Gardens project and more.
The Entertainment Zone Pilot Program returns to the council following its approval by the Vacaville Planning Commission. Planning commissioners voted 7-0 to recommend that the council adopt the pilot program on May 19. They asked the council to consider expanding the area’s boundaries, consider creating other areas in the city, monitor safety and costs to evaluate future fees for the program and work with businesses to determine the program’s impact.
“Staff will implement the ideas suggested by the Planning Commission, and will assess the feasibility of expanding the boundary and establishing additional entertainment zones in the city after the pilot program,” the staff report reads.
In 2024, the state legislature passed SB 969, which authorized cities to establish “entertainment zones” where licensed businesses could be allowed to sell alcoholic beverages on public streets, sidewalks, or public rights-of-way. The Vacaville city staff has been working on a pilot program for months across multiple departments.
Staff will refer to the pilot program as the Main Street Entertainment Zone. The program would sunset on Jan. 1, 2027, unless the City Council votes to extend it. The zone will require alcohol vendors to carry a special event permit and general liability insurance, and will make them responsible for violations and penalties. The city council would also conduct a biennial review of the program.
“The Parks and Recreation Department currently hires security for the CreekWalk Concert Series. Expanding to an entertainment zone is expected to increase both the physical area where alcohol is consumed and the number of attendees consuming alcohol,” the staff report reads. “To manage this, the department is proposing additional security services costing $1,348 per concert, bringing the total increase in security costs for the CreekWalk Concert Series, including entertainment zone operations, up to $9,435 per year. This increase is necessary to enforce boundaries, address public nuisances, and ensure that City staff under age 18 who assist with the event do not interact with intoxicated attendees.”
The council will also discuss increasing the city’s fees for rentals and permits relative to increases in the Consumer Price Index, which the city has spiked its fees to since 2003, increasing them in four-year adjustments, according to the staff report. The city last increased its fees to match the CPI in 2024, but staff is recommending that the city increase the fees after just two years while a new fee study is completed.
“Periodic cost-of-service and user fee studies are considered a best practice to ensure the City understands the full cost of providing services, evaluates the appropriate level of cost recovery, and maintains fees that are equitable and aligned with service delivery costs. The City’s last comprehensive cost-of-service study was completed in 2017,” the staff report reads.
Tuesday’s Budget Study session will be the final one for this budget cycle, meaning the council will be asked to finalize a draft budget, which is available for review on the city’s website. The final budget document will be considered at the June 23 meeting.
The city will also share the results of polling conducted with Probolsky Research regarding a possible sales tax measure for the November Ballot. The polling shows that 98.8 percent of 400 likely Vacaville voters surveyed rated the city’s quality of life as good or fair. 88 percent are satisfied with the Parks and Recreation Department, 81 percent are satisfied with the Fire Department, 79 percent are satisfied with the Public Works Department and 76 percent are satisfied with the Vacaville Police Department. Top issues cited by respondents included overpopulation, inflation, housing affordability, transportation, and public safety.
The staff report did not indicate the level of support or opposition for a ballot initiative, but also did not recommend alternatives to pursuing a tax measure in November.
‘The survey showed that voters are more likely to support a sales tax measure knowing that revenues generated locally would remain in Vacaville and could not be taken by the State or County,” the staff report reads “Voters also expressed greater support for accountability and transparency measures such as independent financial audits, annual public reporting, and a citizens’ oversight committee to review expenditures and provide community transparency regarding the use of revenues.”
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