Fortuna council adopts $20-per-player youth field fee after months of debate

The Fortuna City Council on Feb. 4 adopted a field use policy and a local nonprofit youth-league rental fee that charges $20 per player per season for youth sports using city fields.

Council members said the fee is intended to help cover rising maintenance costs for parks and athletic fields, while community members warned the charge could reduce participation unless sponsors or scholarships are provided.

The fee applies to nonprofit organizations whose primary mission is serving youth 17 and under and is expected to bring in a modest amount of revenue; staff estimated the measure would generate roughly $18,000–$30,000 depending on which teams and areas are counted. Parks and Recreation staff told the council that field maintenance costs — including water, electricity, reseeding, irrigation, red rock base replacement and repairs to fences and goals — have risen and that Newberg Park alone had incurred roughly $14,000 in utilities through November.

Parks and Recreation Commission chair Frank Mathis urged the council to adopt the policy, saying staff and commissioners had worked with user groups and that the measure was necessary to sustain park operations. "We encourage you folks to adopt and implement these fees," Mathis said.

Representatives of local leagues opposed the fee as proposed. Matthew Bowen, speaking for the Eel River Valley Soccer League, said the league would likely pass much of the cost to families. "We will have to raise player registration fees by approximately 15%. For many local families, even a small increase can be a barrier to participation," Bowen said. Carol Wood, a soccer board member, described the league's existing costs and fundraising, and said the board had entered the season with a deficit and would continue to seek sponsors and scholarships.

Council members and staff noted existing in-lieu service arrangements, in which some organizations provide maintenance supplies and labor (for example, paying electricity, supplying red rock and replacing bases) instead of paying fees. Staff recommended allowing such in-lieu arrangements to continue where appropriate; the council retained that flexibility in the adopted policy.

The council also removed a sentence in the proposed fee schedule that would have limited application of the fee to players residing in the Eel River Valley; a motion to delete that line passed during the adoption. Council members described the $20 per-player fee as a first-step or interim measure and said they expect to continue seeking grants and sponsorships to assist families who cannot afford the fee.

The vote was by voice and recorded as unanimous in favor (Councilmember Connolly — yes; Councilmember King — yes; Mayor Pro Tem Trent — yes; Mayor Johnson — yes).

The policy sets the fee at $20 per player per season; staff clarified that the fee is charged per sport season (a player who participates in two different sports in the same year would be charged for each season). Staff also noted the city may consider an hourly fee model in the future to simplify administration as new scheduling software comes online.

Council members and members of the public said they will pursue sponsorships and a charitable fund to help families unable to pay. The council directed staff to finalize the rental agreement and implement the fee structure as adopted.

Ending: The new fee takes effect under the updated field use policy; staff will return with administrative details about collection, exemptions and how in-lieu services will be documented.