Westport likely to start charging for entry on the weekends (updated)

UPDATE: The Kansas City Star is reporting that there may be some road blocks, as it were, to this plan. City Manager Troy Schulte tells the daily in an e-mail: “The city needs to conduct a legal review of the Westport proposal to see what structure would work and what requirements would be placed on the [Westport’s] festival permit. In other words, we have a lot of work to do before anything is implemented in Westport.”

We reached out again to Kimbrough and will update if he responds. 

UPDATE, FRIDAY, 11 AM: Fox 4 is now reporting that the idea has been shelved, following a meeting yesterday, and that it’s possible the city will help out with some security costs. “Kimbrough says that the cover charge idea was taken out of consideration. He says that that city officials pledged to help out with security, but details—especially how the extra expenses will be covered—are still to be worked out.”

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Westport has a festival permit that allows public streets and sidewalks to be gated off so officials can check IDs and keep minors out. The permit could also allow Westport to charge a fee to enter establishments within the perimeter.

For the past few summers, Westport has blocked off the streets at strategic points and required bargoers coming into the entertainment district to show ID, starting around 11 p.m. 

Starting soon — possibly this weekend —  those ID checkers will also be collecting an entry fee. Kim Kimbrough, director of the Westport Regional Business League, says it’s a cost of success. 

“We have a situation where Westport has been attracting crowds significantly larger than we expected this year,” Kimbrough says. “One result of that is it puts a strain on our security forces — both the private security guards we employ and the off-duty police we hire. We have to do something to generate additional revenue to pay for more security.”

He adds: “We [the Westport Regional Business League] have already gone to the bar and restaurant owners to pay for it [security], but at a certain point, if we keep asking for money from them, we’re eating into their profits. Nothing is set in stone yet, but it’ll likely be a nominal cover charge — somewhere around $5 — to get into the district, probably starting around midnight.” 

Not all Westport bars and restaurants will be affected, due to the location of the gates. For example, Westport Ale House, Port Fonda, Julep and Ça Va are all located outside the south gate, and Riot Room’s front entrance is beyond the east gate. 

There’s also a possibility that entrants will be required to pay using a credit or debit card — a policy that has generated some controversy down at the Power & Light District. Kimbrough also characterizes that as a security issue. “If we have people taking cash at all the gates, and there’s a couple thousand people in the district, that’s a lot of money, and it requires more security to be nearby to make sure nothing bad happens,” he says. 

Vouchers are another option being considered. Visitors would swipe their debit card for $5 at the gate, but then once inside the district would be handed a voucher for a drink at any of the bars. “The logistics of that are a little more challenging in terms of alcohol and beverage-control laws,” Kimbrough says. “But the intent would be to make the entry fee less of an obstacle for patrons, and we’d reimburse the establishments that took the voucher for a portion of that amount. Again, though, we’re not firm on that being the way we’re going to go.” 

Kimbrough says the change is unrelated to violence in the district. “The total number of incidents is significantly down this year over last year, and way down since 2013,” he says. “This is just a function of our success. We have to provide a certain level of safety and security. And that costs money. And we’ve tapped out our other sources. So yes, it’s fair to say this is coming soon.”