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Council Rock School District facilities committee backs proposed increases to facility-use fees to cover custodial contract
Summary
The district’s facilities committee discussed raising hourly facility-use fees to match a renewed custodial contract with ABM. Officials said the fee changes are intended to be cost-neutral and staff will post future rates and notify frequent renters.
Council Rock School District’s facilities committee on Sept. 11 discussed a plan to raise facility-use fees to align with a renewed custodial contract with ABM, officials said.
The increases would raise the district’s hourly ABM charge for building openings from $30 to $35 immediately, with further scheduled increases to $38 and then $40 in optional contract years, Tony Rapp, the district’s director of business administration, told the committee. "These fees are set up only to be cost neutral to the district," Rapp said.
Committee members said the change matters because many community groups that rent school space operate on tight budgets. "A lot of the organizations that use our buildings are nonprofits," said Tracy Osecki, a school board member, noting that groups need advance notice to budget for higher fees. Osecki asked that the district proactively notify frequent renters and post future rates prominently online so groups can plan.
Rapp said the fees exist to offset ABM’s charges to open, secure and clean district buildings for after-hours use — typically one hour before and one hour after an event — and that the proposed increases reflect hourly changes in the renewed ABM contract. He stressed the district is not seeking to profit from rentals; the goal is to remain net-zero on custodial expense for outside users.
Board members discussed posting the multi-year schedule in the facilities self-service rental software and on the facilities web page, and asked staff to notify recurring users such as PTOs and local leagues. Angela (last name not specified), a staff member referenced in the meeting, was asked to coordinate notification to regular renters.
No formal vote was recorded in the meeting minutes provided; Rapp said the item will be added to a future agenda for formal action.
The discussion was framed as implementation of the district’s Use of Facilities policy and as an administrative change to align user charges with contract costs. Committee members repeatedly emphasized balancing access for Council Rock residents and organizations with the need to avoid subsidizing outside use.
