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 active members, roughly 90% of whom are Oro Valley residents; OVAC has roughly 600 annual members, about 70% residents. Family membership covers two legal guardians and all dependents under age 25 at the same address; monthly, six- and 12-month options remain available, with a waived $20 activation fee for 12-month plans and a 10% discount on annual payment.

- Facility rentals and fields: Staff said many field-use fees date to 1999 and proposed eliminating a separate "nonpeak" rate because usage during daytime nonpeak hours is minimal. Under the proposal, the resident nonprofit youth sports rate would move from $10/hour to $12/hour; nonresident and for-profit hourly rates would increase more substantially (staff cited an example reaching $24/hour). Ramada and archery-range hourly fees would increase (archery flat rental cited as moving from $10 to $20 in staff materials). Lap-lane fees would rise by about $1 per lane-hour for short course and about $2 for long course where applicable.

- Special events and parks: Staff provided a new, clearer fee schedule for special events and noted that current ad-hoc pricing practices (tallying every park amenity) produce inconsistent results. Steampunk Ranch (historic park) event rates and staffing costs were discussed; staff said they limit very large events to reduce impact on the surrounding commercial area.

- Pickleball and courts: Staff proposed raising public pickleball court fees from $5/hour to $10/hour for residents; nonresident and for-profit rates would double (staff listed $20/hour in materials).

Timing and process

Chankowski said the fee proposal will follow the town's community engagement plan (two phases: education and engagement), include in-person and Zoom outreach sessions in July, be reviewed by the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board again for recommendation, and be presented to the Town Council for study session and later action. "If there's an increase approved, it would be the recommendation from our department that parks and recreation fees would not change until January 1 of 2026," Chankowski said.

Board questions and community concerns

Board members and attendees raised several implementation and equity questions during a lengthy discussion: one board member urged caution about calling the increases "modest," noting percentage changes can look large even when dollar amounts appear small; another asked how the town defines residency (staff: owning or renting property in Oro Valley qualifies). Board members pressed staff on outreach goals—whether the sessions are informational or solicit feedback—and on scholarship applicability (staff said current scholarships apply to programs, not to memberships or drop-in fees). A board member and members of the public flagged maintenance concerns at OVAC's splash pad; staff said they would investigate and that replacement shade is not currently in the upcoming budget.

Insurance-based memberships and program impacts

Chankowski told the board that roughly 1,800 of CRC members receive free or subsidized memberships through third-party insurance arrangements such as SilverSneakers, Silver & Fit or Renew Active; the town is reimbursed based on tracked visits (about $3 per visit up to 10 visits per month under current contracts). Staff said they have discussed reimbursement and contract terms with the insurance vendors and may reopen negotiations if the town adjusts senior rates.

Board feedback highlighted potential tradeoffs: several members worried that larger increases for premium memberships might push some regular users to private facilities, while others said the proposed premium pricing simply corrects longstanding undervaluation. Board members suggested staff seek program and scheduling "sweeteners" for premium members (for example, earlier booking for classes) but staff said current registration software limits some of those changes and that software updates may be needed.

Next steps

Staff will continue outreach (including meetings with youth sports leagues, the Oro Valley Sports Alliance, and the CRC advisory group), incorporate feedback from the board and public sessions, and send the proposal to Town Council for study session and action. If Council approves fee increases, staff recommended implementing them on Jan. 1, 2026.

Votes at the meeting

The board approved the Feb. 18, 2024 regular-session minutes by voice vote. The meeting ended on an approved motion to adjourn at 7:13 p.m.

Ending: Staff asked the board for specific feedback to bring into the public outreach phase; the board requested clearer inflation comparisons, outreach language sensitive to percentage increases, and follow-up on facility maintenance and insurance-reimbursement terms.