Hanford council approves higher tournament fees, directs revenue back to softball complex

The Hanford City Council on Oct. 21 approved an update to tournament and field fees at the Hanford Softball Complex, moving the city toward full cost recovery for the heavily used facility and directing surplus revenue to improvements at the softball complexes.

The council adopted the fee schedule as presented — including an increase in the per-field daily tournament fee and a higher field-prep charge — and approved an annual escalator tied to cost indexes. The motion passed 4-0; council set the new fees to take effect Jan. 1, 2026.

City staff emphasized the complex’s regional draw. “Usage is a very heavily used facility. The last 12 months, we had just under 178,000 visits,” said Austin Payne, the city’s sports coordinator, during the presentation. Payne and other staff described a year of nearly continuous tournaments (roughly weekends March through June and many weekends year-round), an average dwell time of about 165 minutes and an average of roughly 20 teams per tournament.

Why it matters

Staff framed the changes as necessary to cover rising operating costs — principally electricity for field lighting — while retaining the complex’s regional competitiveness. City calculations presented at the meeting estimated nearly $5.5 million in annual direct visitor spending tied to tournaments when factoring in local day trips and overnight stays, and staff said raising fees would move the complex from roughly 91% cost recovery to more than 100% with concessions and the…