The Buellton City Council approved a special event permit for the upcoming Fall Festival, which is slated for Nov. 6-8, during Monday’s meeting.

The free event will be held along the Avenue of Flags and will include carnival rides such as a ferris wheel, games, two live performance stages, street vendors, and food and drinks.

The permit was approved in a 4-0 vote, with Councilman John Sanchez recusing himself because his daughter works for the event.

Council members also debated a $11,000 reimbursable city funding request that was submitted by event coordinator Andres Nuno of En Fuego Events. The funding would cover traffic control equipment, fencing and security guards. 

“Really what we’re using the money for is going to be for the traffic control and all the detour signage and all that stuff that’s going to happen surrounding Avenue of the Flags … and then we also use it for the barricades that go across the street for safety measures,” Nuno said.

The $11,000 request was approved in a 3-1 vote, with Councilman Hudson Hornick opposing it. Mayor David Silva and Councilwomen Carla Mead and Elysia Lewis supported the request. 

City Manager Scott Wolfe noted that festival equipment rentals, such as detour signs, safety barricades and perimeter fencing, account for roughly a third of the funding request. That prompted staff to look into whether the city should purchase its own equipment to reuse for future events.

The event also will have free parking at Pea Soup Andersen’s and the Chumash Resource Building on McMurray Avenue. Temporary street closures are set to begin that Thursday, Nov. 5, and all roadways should reopen by 6 a.m. Nov. 9.

The council expressed concerns regarding the impact of the festival for Avenue of Flags storefronts because of the road closures. In a compromise, Nuno agreed to allow parking strictly for businesses and residents only.