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Council debates parks master fee changes; staff directed to return with more swim-program and rink details
Summary
Council members discussed proposed changes to the parks and recreation master fee schedule, including a proposed fee for additional swim sessions, security deposits for quarterly field reservations, youth fee waiver coverage, and inline hockey rink reservations. Council asked staff to return with more data and analysis before final approval.
Council members debated proposed amendments to the City of Fresno master fee schedule on Jan. 9 after the item was moved from consent to contested discussion.
Parks Director (presenter) told the council the department "averages just over 3,000 swim lessons a year," and that the department proposes to keep the first annual session free for eligible youth while charging a fee for any subsequent session. Staff said the first session is intended to provide basic water-safety instruction to Fresno youth (Fresno Unified students and city youth), and that the proposed fee for an additional session was $100; staff said approximately 97 registrants had taken a subsequent session in the most recent year.
Council members expressed concern about increasing the cost for families whose children need additional instruction. Council Member Tyler Maxwell asked for more analysis and proposed returning the contested item to a future meeting so staff could provide the balance in the youth fee waiver fund, explore partnerships with neighboring school districts, and confirm instructor-student ratios and certification requirements. Council Member Nick Richardson and others said they would pursue outreach to Clovis Unified and others about funding partnerships; Vice President Mike Kerbaci asked staff to confirm program assessments and suggested staff examine using Measure P carryover to avoid raising fees for families.
Other fee changes discussed included a new $100 security deposit for quarterly reservations of fields or courts (with an 80% refundable portion if facilities are returned in good condition) and a reclassification of the inline hockey rink rental to a community/neighborhood-park category that reduced the per-session fee (staff said the change reduced a prior $180 two-hour minimum to $25 for a four-hour block). Council Member Maxwell requested a separate follow-up on the inline hockey rink; he moved to approve the master fee changes with the caveat that staff return with a focused report on the rink no later than the Jan. 30 meeting.
Several council members asked staff to identify how many additional children could be served if the city used Measure P funds or fee-waiver carryover rather than increasing fees for subsequent swim sessions. City Manager and Parks Director said they would gather the requested figures and return to the council; the council amended the motion to require staff provide those items for the Jan. 30 meeting. The council did not finalize an amended fee schedule for swim subsequent-session fees during the contested-consent discussion and directed staff to return with the requested fiscal and programmatic details.
Key points for staff follow-up include the balance and projected sustainability of the youth fee waiver program, numbers of children who would need subsequent sessions if the first session remains free, potential partnerships with Clovis Unified and Central Unified to expand free first-session availability, and operational details such as instructor-to-student ratios and certification/assessment practices for swim progression.
