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Council hears request to waive gym fees at East Chattanooga center; members debate fee structure and next steps
Summary
Councilman Clark proposed a one-time waiver for a youth basketball group charged community-center fees established by a 2024 fee schedule; members discussed whether the group previously paid, the fee schedule's two-hour minimum and broader fee-policy overhaul considerations
Councilman Clark presented a resolution seeking a one-time fee waiver for a youth basketball group using the East Chattanooga community center gym. Clark said the center’s current fee schedule, adopted by the council in February 2024, charges $100 per hour with a two-hour minimum and that the group began being charged in April 2024 after the city started enforcing the policy.
Clark told the council parents and coaches contacted him after the team was billed; he said many of the players are low-income and that parents raise funds for equipment, not facility rental. He said he had been personally covering the team’s facility costs while seeking a council resolution to waive fees until the council can revisit the citywide fee ordinance. Clark described the requested waiver as temporary and limited to this team while the council reviews the broader ordinance.
Members asked whether the group is an AAU or rec-league team and whether the team had previously used the facility without charge; Clark said the AAU team had historically used city facilities without a charge and that the current fee schedule began being enforced in April 2024. Some council members supported the waiver as a way to remove barriers to youth access and to address underused centers; other members urged caution about precedent and asked for a thoughtful amendment to the fee ordinance rather than an ad hoc change. One member noted the Parks & Recreation and Community Development departments developed the fee schedule over many months and that the council should consider precedent and the difference between events that charge admission and community use. Council members suggested alternatives including revising the fee ordinance, making distinctions for free youth programming, or allowing use if groups bring their own equipment.
Why it matters: The request highlights tensions between revenue-generation policies for municipal facilities and efforts to increase community access to underused centers. Council members agreed to further discussion and signaled interest in reviewing the 2024 fee ordinance to make clearer rules for community use and youth programs.
No final vote or formal waiver adoption was recorded during the session; councilmembers asked Parks & Recreation and Community Development to return with options for amendments to the fee ordinance and discussed using established waiver practice for short-term relief.
