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Board hears requests to lower stadium and field rental fees for local nonprofits
Summary
Members of the community asked the board to reconsider facility rental rates for nonprofit youth sports and other local organizations; trustees directed staff to gather comparative data and cost details for a future decision.
Benicia community members asked the board Sept. 4 to consider lowering facility rental fees for local nonprofits, saying current rates make local youth sports and other nonprofit activities difficult to sustain.
Ben Buck, representing Benicia Arsenal Soccer Club, asked the board to consider more affordable pricing for 11-v-11 soccer practices and games at the Benicia High School stadium. "We are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in Benicia," Buck said, and he asked whether the district could provide a price break based on local nonprofit status. Board members said they had received similar requests from other local groups.
Trustees and staff discussed what the rental fee covers and how the district determines rates. Assistant staff explained the fee is intended to cover facilities wear-and-tear and consumables (toilet paper, paper towels, soap, trash bags) and that additional charges for janitorial staff, overtime and other services are billed separately. "If they're outside their normal work hours where we would have to have staff time sheet, that's when there would be a cost," staff said; Saturday or Sunday events commonly create additional staff costs.
Board members expressed a desire to explore options that would avoid the district subsidizing rentals while also keeping local activities affordable. Suggestions included seeking cost-neutral pricing, evaluating processing/credit-card fees, exploring seasonal or per-season deposits, and identifying whether parent-teacher groups or nonprofit youth organizations are charged the facility use fee or only charged for staff time on weekends. One trustee asked staff to verify whether parent-teacher groups are charged usage fees at all, and staff agreed to confirm when the item is brought back.
Trustees asked staff to compile comparative fee data from similar districts (Martinez was mentioned as a demographically similar district) and to develop estimates that clarify the district's actual incremental costs for stadium use. The board did not take a final vote on rates; members directed staff to return with more information and analysis for further discussion.
