Oro Valley staff propose increases to parks and recreation fees; board raises outreach, equity and service questions

Oro Valley Parks and Recreation staff on April 15 presented a package of proposed fee increases for memberships, facility rentals, field use and special events, saying the revenue would be tracked for future capital improvements and that residents and local nonprofits would keep preferential pricing.

The proposed changes, presented by Matt Chankowski, Parks and Recreation deputy director, would raise some community and recreation center (CRC) and Oro Valley Aquatic Center (OVAC) membership rates, adjust lap-lane, field and ramada rental fees, and double certain nonresident and for-profit rates. Chankowski said the proposal emphasizes resident and nonprofit discounts: "you'll see a very heavy emphasis on resident and nonprofit rates being more appealing than the nonresident for profit," he said.

Why it matters: town staff said revenue from the increases would be tracked into a capital fund for Parks and Recreation to help pay for future CIP projects after roughly $40 million in parks investments over the last five years. The board debated whether the increases can be described as "modest," how to structure outreach, and how increases would affect users who receive memberships through insurance programs.

Key proposal details and context

- Memberships: The CRC offers "classic" and "premium" memberships. Staff proposed no increase for youth rates; small resident increases for seniors and adults (example: about $5 higher for resident adult monthly rates) and larger increases for nonresidents (often about $10 higher). Chankowski said the CRC has about 4,400…