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City staff seek council input on draft facility rental policy; nonprofits press for affordability and booking windows
Summary
City staff presented a draft facility-rental policy proposing resident, nonprofit and nonresident rates, standardized hard costs, and booking rules; council members and nonprofit speakers pushed for clearer booking windows, multi-venue discounts and exceptions for fundraisers.
City staff presented a draft facility-rental policy to the Maricopa City Council and solicited feedback on fee structure, booking windows and nonprofit discounts.
"This is the big ticket item, the fee structure that we've built into this draft," said Shane Stone, identified in the packet and at the meeting as a police executive administrator who was serving in an assistant-to-the-city-manager role for the presentation. Stone described a proposed structure using a base rate, a nonresident rate of 125 percent of base, a resident discount of 25 percent and a nonprofit discount of 35 percent, plus uniform hard-cost charges and deposits capped at 120 percent of rental fees.
Stone said the draft limits resident discounts to once per week (athletic teams and leagues are exempt), requires resident proof of address for the resident rate, and defines nonprofit eligibility as IRS-recognized 501(c)(3) organizations "to the service of the city of Maricopa." The draft would also make facilities generally bookable on a first-come, first-served basis and "generally" available up to six months in advance for nonrecurring rentals; long-term or contractual uses would be handled outside the administrative policy.
Friends of the Maricopa Library treasurer Peg Chapados said the library-dependent nonprofit she represents relies on predictable booking windows to schedule fundraiser book sales that produce thousands of dollars for library programs. "We have been waiting to sign an MOU for approximately 17 months," Chapados said. She asked the council to consider carve-outs or sponsorship funding to offset fees for small nonprofits and proposed using bed-tax or business community sponsorships to underwrite rentals for community nonprofits.
Pastor Kevin Teeling of The Door Church of Maricopa and other nonprofit speakers urged finer distinctions for ramada sizes, clarifying whether nonprofits must be headquartered in Maricopa (Stone said nonprofits may be out-of-city but must demonstrably serve Maricopa), and allowing donation-based fundraising rather than ticketed entrance fees where appropriate.
Council members asked for policy clarifications on mixed events (for example, a public festival that includes a private ticketed luncheon), multi-venue discounts when booking multiple rooms or fields for a single event, recurring long-term reservations and whether certain small library rooms could remain free. Vice Mayor Vitiello and Mayor Smith both signaled support for a council work session to continue deliberations; city manager staff and Stone said larger or long-term agreements would likely be handled through contracts or MOUs outside the administrative policy.
Why it matters: Council-controlled fee and booking rules shape how community organizations access municipal facilities (library rooms, Copper Sky lawns, ramadas and fields). Nonprofit groups said predictable access and lower costs are essential for fundraising and program delivery; council members said residents should have priority for space built with public funds.
What’s next: Council members and staff agreed to schedule additional discussion (a work session) to refine the policy, clarify booking and discount rules and consider nonprofit exceptions or sponsorship approaches. Staff noted that formal fees would return in ordinance or fee-schedule form before administrative implementation.
