Parks director proposes FY2026 fee increases for nonresidents and new user fees; board raises equity questions

Parks and Leisure Services Director Kelly Carmichael presented a proposed FY2026 fee schedule on March 3 that would raise several nonresident fees and add reserved-use charges for recently adopted county tennis courts.

Carmichael said the Parks and Leisure Advisory Commission and a staff work group reviewed the 10-page schedule and recommended any changes be highlighted in red. The proposal includes a 25% increase in pavilion and sports facility rental fees for out-of-county users while leaving in-county resident rates unchanged. The advisory commission also recommended a new reserved‑use fee structure for tennis courts: $4 per hour per court for private schools, out‑of‑county schools and homeschool groups and $5 per hour per court for all other users. The draft also increases league user fees from $10 per player to $20 per player, with the advisory commission proposing that $10 of the new fee be placed into a maintenance account for fields and courts.

Carmichael noted the introductory free admission for school-aged Spalding County residents at the aquatic center expires June 30, 2025; any new admission rates would reflect prior direction from commissioners. She also proposed Parks host a cheerleading program this year, which would be new for county-led programs.

Commissioners’ concerns: Several board members asked that the fee structure not inadvertently penalize local children who attend private schools or are homeschooled. One commissioner asked why private-school or homeschool groups would be charged $4 per hour while the board has existing agreements with Griffin‑Spalding public schools. Another commissioner asked for clarity on the distribution and use of league-user fee revenue and asked staff to identify which maintenance projects would be funded by the new account. Carmichael said the advisory commission intended the $20 user fee to create a designated maintenance revenue stream.

Next steps: Staff asked commissioners to review the schedule; Carmichael said the board would vote on the fee schedule the same night at the regular meeting. Board members asked for any needed clarifications on tennis-court reservations and the effect on private or homeschool participants before the vote.

Ending: Commissioners asked staff to return with clarifying language about residency definitions (who counts as in‑county for school and homeschool users), reserve‑use categories and the maintenance-account mechanics before final adoption.