Lede: The Astoria City Council voted Aug. 18 to approve an intergovernmental agreement (IGA) with the Astoria School District that formalizes priority use and reciprocal access to school and city athletic fields, gyms and classroom space.

Nut graf: The IGA aims to streamline scheduling and reduce fee-for-service exchanges when the city or the district uses the other party's facilities. The agreement preserves each entity's priority for its own programs while establishing a framework for coordinated use.

Body: City Manager Spencer Spence told council the IGA eliminates routine cross-charging for facility use by recognizing reciprocal access and scheduling coordination. Spence gave examples from the staff report: the school district pays about $5,000 when it uses the city's aquatics facility for program needs; likewise, the city pays a similar amount when it uses school facilities for after-school programs. The agreement was reviewed and approved by the school district the prior week, Spence said.

Parks and Recreation Director Jonah Darrick McLean clarified that separate agreements exist where appropriate, such as a five-year lease with the Astoria Baseball Foundation for the city-owned batting facility; those agreements remain independent of the IGA.

Council action: Councilor Ian Adams moved approval, Councilor Emily Davis seconded. The motion passed by voice vote.

Ending: The IGA provides a procedural framework; specific scheduling and details will be handled by staff and reflected in routine facility scheduling and billing practices.