Coweta County staff propose raising community center and fairground rental fees to recover more costs

Coweta County Parks and Recreation staff recommended raising rental fees for community centers and fairground facilities and standardizing refundable/withheld cleaning deposits to recover more of the true cost of operations.

What staff presented: Staff told commissioners that FY2024 rental revenue totaled about $101,750 across community centers, fairgrounds and related facilities — an amount that does not cover the salaries and benefits of two full-time event-services staff who manage rentals, nor the utility and custodial costs tied to those venues. Staff noted rental rates have not increased substantially in many years.

Proposed changes: For community centers, staff proposed a weekday rate and a higher weekend rate with separate pricing for county residents/nonprofits and nonresidents/for-profits (example: from a $25-per-hour baseline to a $50 weekend hourly rate in some proposals). For the fairgrounds, staff proposed maintaining many weekday daily rates while increasing weekend daily rates (roughly a 50% increase for weekend days in some line items). Staff also recommended applying rental charges to organizations that have historically been allowed to use space without fees, except county departments.

Deposits and policy: Commissioners discussed whether cleaning deposits should be nonrefundable; staff currently holds a $300 refundable deposit for community centers and a deposit equal to the daily rate for some fairgrounds uses. Several commissioners suggested making at least part of the deposit nonrefundable or withholding a portion to deter poor cleanup and damage.

Equity and exemptions: Commissioners asked about church, political and state agency use. Staff said not-for-profits and churches could qualify for the non-profit rate with proof of status; the county would charge state agencies going forward. Staff suggested new rates apply to reservations made after an effective date so groups already contracted would not be retroactively charged.

Next steps: Staff proposed bringing the fee schedule to a future meeting (suggested April or early May) with an effective date that applies only to new reservations. Commissioners supported moving the fee schedule forward and asked staff to return with the ordinance/amendment and updated online information.

Ending: Commissioners expressed general support for raising rental fees to recover costs while preserving access; staff will present the formal fee schedule for board action and website updates.