Farmington staff propose higher facility rental rates, new procedures to curb misuse and recoup costs

Facilities manager Dan Miller reviewed proposed updates to the district’s practices and procedures for facility rentals and a new two-year rate table, telling the board the district has historically charged below-market rates and needs to move toward at least budget-neutral operations.

“Previously it was listed at 15 minutes. That's completely useless time to rent. … So we're gonna move that stuff to an hour,” Dan Miller said, explaining a change from 15-minute increments to hourly rental blocks to reduce friction and make returned time usable by other groups.

What staff proposed

- Rate table and schedule changes: Staff recommended a stepped two-year increase in fees, with larger changes to outdoor facilities than indoor. Miller said the goal is to move outdoor-facility fees closer to surrounding districts and to generate revenue so the district is not subsidizing outside users from the general fund.

- Class A/B/C user clarifications: The updated practices and procedures add language to distinguish local, community-based user groups (Class B) from outside and for-profit users (Class C). The document proposes stronger oversight of some Class C users and a new request-for-use protocol to reduce instances where a Class B group sublets to third parties at lower rates.

- Revisions to booking and cancellation rules: Miller described procedural changes that would require earlier, larger blocks of returned time or payment for reserved time to reduce last-minute cancellations that hamper other groups’ planning.

- Fee services and staff overtime: Field lining and other on-demand services would be available but performed on district staff overtime rather than during regular work hours. Miller said these services were adjusted for inflation and clarified the district’s expectation that such services will incur additional costs.

Board questions and clarifications

Board members asked whether rates were set by actual cost recovery, by comparison with neighboring districts, or a mix. Miller said administrators used both methods: they estimated personnel and equipment costs and compared surrounding districts to land on a two-year, stepped approach intended to be roughly budget neutral while providing planning certainty to outside users. A board member asked whether hourly minimums might leave gym time unused; Miller replied that most large user groups rent multi-hour blocks and internally allocate time, so the change should not materially affect typical bookings but should make returned time more rentable.

Implementation and next steps

Miller and staff recommended a two-year phase to give community partners time to plan. The board asked staff to return with final tables and implementation details; staff said the draft will be brought back to the finance committee for review and then to the full board. No fee changes were adopted in this meeting.

Ending

Board members signaled support for bringing the revised practices and fees back through the finance committee and expected a final recommendation before the end of the two-year step-in period.