Council schedules Aug. 20 public hearing on broad fee changes; staff detail sports, planning and parking proposals

The Sandpoint City Council voted July 30 to schedule a public hearing on Aug. 20 for proposed new fees and changes that would raise some charges by more than 5 percent.

Parks and recreation and community planning staff described a wide set of changes, saying they aim to simplify billing, reduce administrative reporting and more closely align fees with the cost of services.

Jason Welker, who led the parks and recreation presentation, said the James E. Russell Sports Center will move away from per‑visit “daily play” charges toward frictionless monthly and annual memberships and online court reservations. Staff proposed monthly rates of $99 for general public users, $69 for county residents and $59 for city residents; annual memberships would carry a $20 discount and be billed monthly with automatic renewal. Welker said the change is intended to reduce queuing at the front desk and to increase membership uptake by making access “frictionless.” He said…