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Commissioners approve revised Parks & Recreation fee schedule and direct further review of tournament rates
Summary
The board raised several Parks & Recreation fees — including youth registration and daily field rental rates — and asked parks staff to provide a cost analysis so the county can set different fees for local leagues and commercial tournament promoters.
At the June 26 meeting the Scotland County Board of Commissioners approved revisions to the Parks & Recreation fee schedule and discussed how to price rentals for tournaments and for-profit events.
What the board approved - Youth program registration: increase from $15 to $20; a discount was approved for families with three or more children, for whom the per‑child fee would revert to $15. - Some facility fees and deposit changes: removal of Hammond Park maintenance/key deposit items (county staff said the county no longer issues keys to users) and insertion of a football field rental item reflecting a county-owned field. - A recommendation to increase softball/baseball field daily rental from $150 to $200 per field was accepted for now; commissioners agreed to revisit multi‑field and out‑of‑county commercial/for‑profit tournament rates after parks staff supply a cost-to-host estimate.
Discussion highlights - Parks staff (Tanya) reported increased interest from outside tournaments and early inquiries from organizers (named contacts include David Payton and Brad). Commissioners said commercial tournaments bring visitors who buy hotel rooms, food and fuel, so the board wants a rate that covers county staff costs (setting fields, concessions management, extra staffing and cleanup) but does not deter tournament recruitment. - Commissioners directed parks director (Lawrence) to prepare a brief cost estimate for hosting a weekend tournament so the board can set differential rates for local community groups versus out‑of‑county commercial promoters. The board discussed concessions protocol, liability and permitting for hot food vendors; some food vendors already under county contract may operate at events but the county will enforce insurance and permit requirements.
Why it matters: County leaders want to leverage park assets for economic activity while ensuring events do not operate at a loss or create public-liability exposure.
Next steps: Lawrence will provide an expense breakdown (staffing, field prep, cleanup, insurance/permits) and recommendations for a commercial tournament fee schedule at the July meeting. The board left in place the approved fee schedule changes with the understanding tournament rates may be revised after the data are provided.
