Tulare County Board approves overhaul of park fees, eliminates weekend entrance charges

The Tulare County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to adopt a revised county park fee schedule and eliminate weekend entrance fees, GSA Director Brooke Sisk told the board during a timed public hearing.

County staff said the changes, effective July 1, replace scattered park entry charges with amenity-based reservation fees and new permits for vendors and events. Brooke Sisk, general services agency director, told supervisors that entrance fees historically generated roughly $143,000 over the last decade, including $13,000 for the county museum, but carried operational costs: “Staffing costs for gate collection totaled $38,000 annually, resulting in a net revenue of 105,000,” Sisk said, and recommended eliminating the entrance fee to reduce staffing, cash-handling and traffic delay problems.

The board’s action follows a months-long review and input from the parks advisory committee. The adopted package standardizes arbor rental fees by size, raises the reservation fee for sports fields from $25 to $50, sets a $25 reservation fee for standalone picnic tables/grills, and creates a $200 base fee for organized running events. Disc golf tournament reservations shift to a $100 per day, per-course fee. Vendor permits were revised to a $50 single-day vendor fee and a $325 annual year-round vendor permit, with the GSA director authorized to set reasonable restrictions on vendor locations and counts. A 50% refundable deposit was added for amenity rentals.

Board members discussed trade-offs between public access and cost recovery. Supervisor Shuckling said she supported eliminating entrance fees but asked for clarity that informal, drop-in use of courts, picnic tables and grills remains free if the amenity is not reserved. Sisk confirmed that drop-in use is allowed; reservations only guarantee availability and trigger staffing and cleaning. Supervisor McCarty said the county has invested heavily in parks improvements in recent years and called for ensuring reserved amenities are clean and ready for users who pay for them.

Staff also presented fiscal offsets to cover revenue changes. The packet noted a recommended increase in net county cost of $92,000 for parks and $13,000 for the museum to offset the removal of entrance fees. Park-specific adjustments adopted include a uniform $25 camping fee at Balch Park, a $200 rental fee for the newly restored pier at Bartlett Park, and a $5 dove-hunting fee at Kings River Park (limited to 20 participants per day).

Public comment was invited; none was received. Supervisor Shuckling moved approval; Supervisor McCarrie seconded. The board voted unanimously in favor of the fee schedule and associated authorizations.

The GSA will publish the new schedule and implement the vendor and event permit processes. Staff said they coordinated with community stakeholders and reviewed regional comparables during the proposal development.

For residents: the elimination of weekend entrance fees means walking into most county parks will be free; fees apply when reserving specific amenities or hosting organized events. The county said the changes are intended to improve accessibility while recovering costs for staff time and amenity maintenance.