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Council adopts master fee schedule updates, raises nonresident park and some rental fees
Summary
Council adopted a revised master fee schedule with new building resubmittal fees, higher nonresident tournament and rental charges, and updated library and community room rates. Councilors debated resident vs. nonresident rates and the effect on tournaments and field maintenance.
The Midlothian City Council adopted amendments to the city
master fee schedule, which included new resubmittal fees for building plans, changes to engineering/flood-plain application fees, and a series of parks and recreation fee increases targeted chiefly at nonresident and tournament users.
Why it matters: Staff said the increases are intended to align Midlothian with peer cities and to recoup a larger share of maintenance and operations costs imposed by high-usage tournaments that bring mostly nonresident participants. Council discussion focused on equity for resident youth programs (which are heavily subsidized) versus the high wear-and-tear and staffing costs associated with larger, nonresident tournaments.
What staff said: Parks staff compared Midlothian
fees with Mansfield, Arlington, Waxahachie, Red Oak, DeSoto, Duncanville, Grand Prairie, Grapevine and Frisco. Staff reported Midlothian had been on the lower end of regional peers and recommended raising nonresident fees to the middle or higher end. Staff estimated tournaments and nonresident rentals bring significant wear on MCP and other fields; staff said recently about $130,000-$160,000 in park fee revenue was collected, a small portion of total parks operating costs.
Council concerns: Council members repeatedly asked how resident rates would be preserved for local associations and coaches. Staff clarified that organized youth-sports associations that hold youth-sports agreements continue to be charged per-child seasonal rates (e.g., $8 for a resident for a season, $30 for a nonresident child) and that permitted rental rates for club teams and for-profit trainers are higher (e.g., per-field hourly or two-hour minimums). Staff also explained that tournament fees are commonly charged per team by comparable cities and that nonresident tournaments are the largest source of rental revenue.
Outcome: Council approved the fee schedule changes 6-0 and directed staff to implement updated fees and notify users. Staff will monitor revenue and usage impacts and report back to council as requested.
