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San Clemente parks-and-rec staff present broad fee overhaul; swim clubs and residents urge slower rollout
Summary
City staff presented a comprehensive cost-recovery policy and a Matrix Consulting fee study that would raise many beaches, parks and recreation fees. Commissioners and community members pressed for more outreach, phased increases and stakeholder review; the commission created an expedited subcommittee to review aquatics fees.
SAN CLEMENTE — City recreation staff on Wednesday recommended a new cost-recovery policy and a fee schedule overhaul for Beaches, Parks and Recreation, saying some fees have not been updated in more than a decade. The commission heard hours of public comment, including pleas from swim and water-polo team leaders, and approved an expedited subcommittee to review aquatic fees and stakeholder input before forwarding recommendations to City Council.
City recreation staff presented findings of a yearlong study by Matrix Consulting Group and a proposed new policy for classifying services by community benefit and setting target cost-recovery rates. "Cost recovery promotes financial sustainability and equity," Recreation Director Samantha Whiteley said during the presentation, summarizing the study’s rationale and methods.
The study analyzed roughly 170 fees and calculated the “fully burdened” cost for services, including labor, utilities and maintenance. Staff proposed a five-tier cost-recovery framework ranging from mostly community-benefit items…
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