Kenmore City Hall is a limited public forum, and its primary function is to serve as the central place for City governance and the provision of governmental services. The purpose of these policies is to establish rules for community use of the meeting room and council chambers and to avoid impacts to the core functions of Kenmore City Hall.
Category: Public Works and Facilities | Policy No.: PWF-4 |
Subject: City Hall Meeting Room Rental Policies | Date Issued: 2/20/2024 |
Staff Contact: PW Operations Director | Last Updated: 2/20/2024 |
The Community Meeting Room and City Council Chambers have limited availability to the public for rental use which is limited only to times when the rooms are not being used for City of Kenmore meetings, for sponsored or co-sponsored activities, or for meetings held by other governmental agencies. The rooms can be combined upon request in the reservation and with prior approval (renters may not move the wall between the rooms). Adjacent terrace and lobby areas are accessible from the meeting rooms and can be used for associated activities subject to City approval. The Council dais, clerks desk, and lectern are not available for use by rental groups. The Council dais and the clerks’ desk are stationary pieces of furniture and cannot be moved.
The Community Meeting Room and/or Council Chambers may be available to public user groups, Tuesday through Friday between the hours of 5PM and 9PM. Saturday rentals will be considered on a case-by-case basis for Kenmore Residents Only, between the hours of 1PM and 7PM. Saturday rentals are dependent on staff availability and may be subject to additional fees for staff coverage. Facilities are not available for rental on City-recognized holidays. Other government agencies may request meeting room reservations during regular City Hall business hours (9 AM-5 PM Monday-Friday). At all times, City of Kenmore meetings will have priority for meeting space. If there is no City of Kenmore meeting scheduled, then the usage shall be prioritized as follows:
PRIORITIZED USE | City sponsored or co-sponsored activities |
2 | Other government agencies and organizations |
3 | Community, local nonprofit, private or individual functions that do not charge persons to attend the event. |
4 | Commercial users for training/classes only and with approval by the City Manager (no sales or promotional activity shall be allowed). |
Weekday room rentals are available for a minimum rental period of two hours for both Kenmore residents and non-residents. Hourly room rental fees are calculated using a resident rate or a non-resident rate. Kenmore residents or groups sponsored by Kenmore residents may use a meeting room on a weekday once a month at no charge. Saturday room rentals are only available to Kenmore residents with a four-hour minimum rental period. Additional fees may apply including, but not limited to damage deposits, AV usage fees, or extra cleaning fees.
A.
A damage deposit is required for groups exceeding 50 people or when food or beverages are served. The damage deposit is refundable subject to subsection (B) below. The deposit will not be deducted from the room rental fees but will be refunded in the same manner paid within one month after the event. Government agencies are not required to submit a damage deposit, unless specifically required to do so because of the nature of the planned event. However, government agencies may be charged for extra cleaning, or any damage associated with their rental of the facility.
B.
The damage deposit will be forfeited if:
1.
Damage to the facility or equipment is caused during the event;
2.
The reservation is not cancelled in a timely manner (see below);
3.
These policies are violated;
4.
The carpet or walls are damaged or stained;
5.
The facility is not left in a clean and orderly condition, or if personal belongings are not removed following the rental. Additional fees may apply; any additional janitorial services necessary will be billed according to the hourly rate paid by the City and repairs and/or replacement will be billed at the full cost incurred;
6.
The use of the facility exceeds the scheduled reservation time; or
7.
All facility equipment or furniture is not accounted for.
C.
If damage caused by the event exceeds the deposit, the City will hold the Applicant responsible for the additional coverage amount.
D.
Deposit and rental fee payments should be paid in-full upon approval of the rental application and within seven (7) days of the scheduled facility use.
E.
If a cancellation is made seven (7) days or more from the event, the full deposit will be returned. If a cancellation is made six (6) days or less from the event, 100% of the deposit will be forfeited.
F.
The City Council adopts the Fee Schedule annually, by resolution.
Light refreshments (coffee, water, cookies, box lunch, etc.) for meetings may be brought to City Hall. City Hall kitchen facilities are not available for public use. No alcohol is allowed on the premises. All food and/or catering must be completely self-contained. Food service permits from Seattle/King County Public Health are required for food preparers or caterers for events. Use of catering equipment requiring electricity is not allowed; hot dishes may use chafing dishes (using commercially available chafing fuel). Food service or buffet must be contained to the Community Room and/or lobby.
All reservation requests are subject to review and approval by the City Manager or designee.
Reservation requests are accepted a minimum of two weeks in advance for weekday rentals, and one month in advance for Saturday rentals. The rental period begins with and includes time necessary for room setup and ends with the completion of the renter’s clean-up.
A City staff member must be on site during the entire duration of the facility rental and additional fees may apply. The Applicant must check in with the City staff person on site at arrival and final departure the day of the room use.
Requests to change reservation dates must be made in writing via email to reservations@kenmorewa.gov, and a response in writing via email back to the applicant must be sent by the City acknowledging and confirming the request.
The person seeking to reserve the City facilities must be 21 years of age or older and sign the Kenmore City Hall City Council and/or Community Meeting Room: Application and Rental Agreement (Applicant). The Applicant must be present for the entire duration of the rental. Rental groups composed of minors (under 18 years of age) shall always be supervised by a sufficient number of adults (21 years of age or older) while using City Hall facilities. The Applicant is considered to be the responsible party in case of damage, theft, or disturbance during use of City facilities.
Rentals that book multiple dates at a consistent day and time require approval by the City Manager or designee, and in most cases requests for an ongoing rental will be approved for no more than three months at a time. Meeting rooms may not be rented more than once a month for the same applicant or organization unless the applicant is a governmental agency or the applicant/organization is doing work on behalf of the City.
Groups sponsored by Kenmore residents may reserve a meeting room once a month at no charge (deposit and/or cleaning fee may apply). The applicant for the reservation should be the in the name of the same person/same organization name to ensure the fair use of the facilities. To ensure the policies are being followed, the City may limit or suspend room use for persons or organizations that violate these policies.
There is no charge for Government agencies or Events co-sponsored by the City of Kenmore (deposit and/or cleaning fee may apply).
The City Council adopted Ordinance No. 11-0326 (Ordinance), which acknowledges that City Hall’s core function is to serve as the primary place to conduct the business of the City. The Ordinance authorizes activities that have a natural relationship to the conduct of government, and which do not compromise its core function.
An Applicant must sign and submit a complete Facility Use Application Agreement to reservations@kenmorewa.gov.
All payments must be made by the designated date or a minimum of seven (7) calendar days before the date of the reservation.
Liability insurance naming the City of Kenmore as an additional insured is required for events that exceed 100 people or for other reasons as deemed necessary by the City Manager or designee. Applicants required to obtain insurance shall provide proof of commercial general liability insurance in the amount of $1,000,000 combined, single limit per occurrence. Such insurance shall be primary over any coverage held by the City and shall name the City as an additional insured. Two weeks prior to the facility rental date, the applicant shall submit a copy of the insurance policy declaration page to the City as evidence of acceptable insurance coverage. The certificate of insurance shall include the following items: location of activity; type of activity; separate endorsement sheet; date(s) of coverage.
The City may cancel a reservation at any time due to an emergency, severe weather or situations that may result in facility damage or personal injury. The City Manager or designee can also cancel a reservation if the meeting room is needed for a city sponsored meeting or event. In such instances a full refund will be provided.
An Applicant’s cancellation of a reservation must be made in writing via e-mail at least seven (7) calendar days prior to the reserved event to the City of Kenmore and a response in writing via e-mail must be sent back to the applicant from the City acknowledging and confirming the cancellation.
Any form of refund will be issued only to the Applicant. The City of Kenmore is not responsible for reimbursement of items purchased in association with the scheduled event such as insurance, vendor or service charges, equipment rentals, permit or licensing fees, etc.
Room set-up is the Applicant’s responsibility. Each room has a default set up; Council Chambers (theater style) with 30 seats and the Community Meeting Room (conference/ boardroom stye) with table and chairs to seat 18 people. If the Applicant desires a layout other than the default, City staff will provide the number of tables and chairs requested, but it will be the Applicant’s responsibility to set up their desired layout. At the conclusion of the event, the attendees must remove their belongings and event related materials and leave the facility clean and intact. The Applicant is responsible for clean-up following the event. Clean up includes wiping down of all surfaces, disposing of loose garbage and debris in the proper receptacles and cleaning up any areas of debris left behind using a carpet sweeper and/or provided vacuum. If additional clean up time beyond routine cleaning by City staff is required, the applicants deposit will be reduced accordingly.
Please see Facility Use FAQs for furniture and setup details.
Use of amplified sound equipment other than what is provided by the City is permitted inside the building and is subject to approval.
Applicants may use A/V components in the Community Room (includes projector with screen and a Bluetooth speaker with a wired microphone). Applicants must bring their own computer/device for presentations. Access to Council Chambers A/V system and components is not available to renters except for government agencies and non-profits (to be approved on a case-by-case basis). Music/sound may be played through the applicant’s laptop using the A/V components or by connecting to a city-owned or renter-owned speaker. Additional fees may apply.
A preevent training is required to use the City’s projector and screen to ensure a smooth reservation.
Free Wi-Fi is available for public use.
Rental groups should provide their own easels, flip charts, etc. for displays.
No exterior or interior signage is allowed on City Hall premises relating to the rental and use of the meeting room or council chambers.
Items may not be affixed to the ceiling, doors, walls, light fixtures, or windows. Rice, bird-seed, confetti, and glitter are not allowed. Only painters’ tape and/or command strips may be used for wall decorations. Damage resulting from the use of hooks, nails, push pins, staples, tape, or other adhesives will result in the loss of some or all of the renter’s damage deposit, and the City may charge the renter for any additional repair costs not covered by the damage deposit.
Applicants must get pre-approval to schedule deliveries to City Hall for their reservation. The Applicant must be present to accept or sign for any deliveries related to the event, and the delivery/pick up time will be considered part of the rental period. No storage space is available at City Hall for event supplies.
The use of tobacco products is prohibited inside or within 25 feet of any entrance or window to City Hall.
All activities must comply with Kenmore Municipal Code, King County Public Health Code, state, and federal law.
Firearms or weapons of any sort will not be allowed in City Hall or premises. This restriction does not apply to on-duty law enforcement officers.
The use of candles or any other type of open flame, flammable materials or fog/smoke machines is prohibited at City Hall.
Only service animals are allowed in City Hall.
An Applicant must sign the Kenmore City Hall City Council Chambers and/or Community Room: Application and Rental Agreement Form and agree to indemnify and hold the City, its elected officials, officers, employees, agents and volunteers harmless from any and all claims, demands, losses, action and liabilities, including costs or attorney’s fees, to or by any and all persons or entities, including, without limitation, their respective agents, licensees, or representatives, arising from, resulting from or connected in any way with the rental of City Hall by the Applicant and attendees of the activity, or by the Applicant’s or attendees’ breach of the rental policies or rental agreement. The City is not responsible for lost, stolen or damaged items.
City of Kenmore facilities may not be used for campaign purposes in violation of RCW 42.17A.555, WAC 390-05-271 and WAC 390-05-273.
Receiving permission to use City facilities does not constitute an endorsement of a group’s philosophies, policies, or beliefs.
The City reserves the right to deny the distribution of items at events deemed to be hazardous, a nuisance or not family friendly.
Groups renting City facilities must adhere to Federal and State laws regarding non-discrimination on the basis of race, gender, color, creed, national origin, religion, marital status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, political affiliation or sensory, mental or physical disability.
The City can add requirements and/or restrictions as deemed necessary, depending on the event. The City will identify the required additional requirements and/or restrictions in writing five (5) business days in advance of the event (or prior to the Applicant’s final payment securing the reservation) and the Applicant’s signature agreeing to the additional conditions will be required. The City can deny rental requests due to staff or facility availability, incompatibility of the rental request with the City facilities, or other reasons. All requests are subject to the approval of the City Manager or designee. The City reserves the right to terminate an event if risks to safety or property exist or if users are violating facility use policies or other laws.
Maximum room capacities are posted in the Lobby, Community Meeting Room, and Council Chambers. Rentals that exceed approved capacities may be cancelled immediately and entire damage deposit withheld.
The City reserves the right to require and establish ratios of security personnel and/or adult supervision to monitor the safety and welfare of the attendees of any function. The Applicant will be responsible for the cost of security personnel.
The City Manager or designee shall make any necessary interpretations of these policies.