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Scotts Valley youth softball groups warn proposed parks fees could force programs out
Summary
Representatives of two Scotts Valley youth softball programs told the council during public comment that planned changes to park-fee billing (from per-player to per-field hourly fees) would increase costs by about $20,000 combined and could force the programs to leave the city.
Representatives of two Scotts Valley youth softball organizations told the City Council their programs face displacement if a parks-and-recreation fee schedule is applied as written.
Alexandra Sklar, representing Scotts Valley Girls Softball and Travel Fast Pitch, said the organizations were told by parks staff they must follow the fee schedule adopted by council last fall, which sets a nonprofit hourly field rate of $22.50 per field. Sklar said the leagues currently pay per-player fees of $14 per player; switching to the hourly per-field charge would increase costs for the two programs by roughly $20,000 a year and “would put our program out of Scotts Valley.”
Sklar provided the council a letter reiterating maintenance concerns and the financial impact of the change and asked the council to consider the programs’ situation during budget review. City Manager Molly Legault said staff had invited the groups to a meeting to discuss the issue and review the facts.
Why it matters: The two programs together use more than 1,000 hours of field time per year, according to Sklar, and said applying the adopted hourly fee to that use would leave registration-fee revenue insufficient to cover field costs. Sklar said the per-child season fee would equate to about $95 under the hourly charge, compared with current registration of about $125 per child, leaving little margin to operate.
Next steps: The city manager offered to meet with the programs to review the fee interpretation and maintenance concerns. Council members did not take formal action during the meeting; city staff will follow up with the organizations.
