Lemoore recreation commission weighs raising youth aid cap and seeks answers after instructor rent hikes

The Lemoore City Recreation Commission discussed raising the cap on the Lemoore Youth Recreation Fund and requested staff research after recreation instructors reported steep increases in facility master-use fees, commissioners and staff said at a commission meeting.

Commissioners and staff focused on two connected financial issues: whether to increase the fund cap that offsets program fees for low-income families, and how recent changes to the city’s master-use fee schedule are affecting independent instructors who rent space in recreation facilities.

The youth fund discussion centered on the program’s current mechanics and a proposed increase. Marissa, the recreation manager for Lemoore City, said the fund now operates on a 70/30 split in which qualifying participants pay 30 percent of a program fee and the fund covers the remainder. “We are only budgeted right now, a hundred dollars per child,” Marissa said, referring to the per-child amount the city currently has allocated in its budgeting for the program. Marissa also said the fund’s balance was about $14,000…