Council adopts updated parks and recreation fee schedule, raising venue and picnic rates and adjusting pool and program charges

The City Council on April 14 adopted updates to the Parks, Recreation and Community Services program and facility fee schedule, effective July 1, 2025. Staff said the review compared Carpinteria’s rates with other regional agencies, examined program cost recovery and recommended changes to bring fees closer to market rates while preserving some low‑cost community offerings.

What changed: - Veterans Hall and venue fees: Staff recommended consolidating hall+amenity charges into a single venue rate and increasing hall‑only rates; staff noted a recommended 29% increase for hall rentals and said a new ‘‘venue fee’’ reflects common use of kitchen, courtyard and reception spaces. The council adopted the updated schedule. - Pool rentals and swim programming: Staff recommended moving away from an "all‑day" rental rate toward an hourly rate because longer rentals cost the city as much to operate as short ones. The city will incrementally increase school (CUSD) rental fees toward parity with outside organizations and keep summer 2025 swim lesson pricing unchanged while recommending a modest increase to the junior lifeguard program in 2026 to reflect rising costs; staff said Junior Lifeguards’ cost recovery was near 100%. - Community garden: Staff recommended keeping monthly plot fees at current levels after a market comparison, but implementing a $50 refundable deposit to cover staff time to clear plots if members do not vacate them cleanly. - Park barbecues and sports fields: The city raised picnic site fees to $45 per site per day and proposed modest sports‑field increases; nonprofit youth leagues currently use fields without a fee in exchange for upkeep discussions the city plans to formalize. - Skate park: Staff proposed new rental and refundable deposit fees for private special events (the Carp Skate Foundation’s separate agreement would not be affected).

Rationale and tradeoffs: Staff said the parks portfolio had an overall cost recovery around 50% (revenues offset roughly half of the parks and recreation costs across funds) and recommended targeted increases where Carpinteria charged below market rates or where usage had grown. Staff said low‑cost swim lessons were deliberately preserved because of local safety and equity considerations.

Council action: The council voted to adopt Resolution No. 6,384 updating the fee schedule; the motion passed unanimously.

Community reaction and next steps: Staff said revenues from increased rentals will flow into general or parks maintenance funds and can be allocated to upkeep, janitorial services and repairs. Managers also flagged the potential administrative burden of resident/nonresident pricing and said they will monitor reservation demand and volunteer participation in the community garden and report back if additional policy changes are needed.