Corte Madera Town Parks and Recreation staff presented a draft priority schedule for allocating use of town indoor and outdoor facilities at the June 23, 2025, Parks and Recreation Commission meeting and asked commissioners for input. The draft lays out tiered priority categories intended to guide how staff approves reservations made through the town's Civic Rec online system.

Staff said the priority framework responds to more frequent rental requests since Civic Rec launched about six months ago and is intended to make allocation decisions transparent and easier to administer. "Staff is looking for some input and direction on the draft priority," the presenter said. "We launched Civic Rec about 6 months ago, and we changed to, instead of you having to call in and ask, our availability is online."

Under the draft described by staff, first priority would be town park and recreation programs and emergency uses (for example, police or fire use of facilities); next would be town civic organizations that currently use space without charge; school-district uses during school hours remain subject to a joint use agreement that gives the district first access through 6 p.m.; outside of those times the town programs, rentals, summer camps and enrichment classes would be scheduled. Lower priority categories would include nonprofit youth sports and community groups (which receive reduced rates), for-profit vendors offering classes, and private rentals.

Commissioners asked how the priority scheme would be applied in Civic Rec and how conflicts between groups would be resolved. Staff said the system will flag resident status and nonprofit/civic status on applications and that requests will be reviewed by staff before booking to ensure required insurance and other documentation are provided. "It's an application and a request first, and then [staff] approves it," the presenter said, describing a backend review step handled by a reservations supervisor.

Several commissioners raised concerns about residency and program eligibility: they urged staff to monitor town-run programs that increasingly enroll nonresidents and to consider whether sustained shifts in participant residence should affect priority or fee policy. Staff said programs that remain town-run (town handles registration, insurance and hires coaches) will remain in the top tier; if a program later shifts to privately run registration or renting the field itself, staff would treat it differently.

No motion was made and no formal policy change was adopted at the meeting; staff said it had enough direction to continue work and will return with updated facilities agreements and a final draft in a future meeting. Staff also said it expects to bring updated facility-use agreements — some dating from the 1980s and 1990s — back to the commission for review.

Commissioners and staff noted that the proposed priority framework will be incorporated into public guidance and the Civic Rec interface so prospective renters can see the rules, fee tiers and any special requirements (insurance, alcohol permits) before applying. Staff said reservations may be submitted up to one year in advance and that the priority document will be integrated with the town's fee study and fee schedule.

The commission took no public comment on this item, and no votes or formal actions were recorded on the draft allocation policy.