Council approves parks fee updates after debate over charging for repeat swim lessons

The Fresno City Council approved an update to the Parks master fee schedule on Jan. 9, 2025, after a detailed discussion about swim lessons, youth fee waivers and program access. Councilmembers pressed staff for data on program capacity and the remaining balance in the youth fee-waiver fund and instructed staff to return with those figures and additional detail on an in-line hockey rink tariff.

Parks staff told the council the department runs roughly 3,000 swim-lesson sessions a year and that Fresno Unified students ages 3–17 were eligible for one free session annually under current arrangements. The staff proposal would charge for additional sessions beyond the free first session; a subsequent session was proposed at $100 before waivers. Staff said the youth fee waiver program reduces fees for qualifying households and estimated that in current practice about 80% of youth participants would qualify for that waiver, which would reduce the effective cost of any subsequent session.

Councilmembers raised equity concerns about charging for subsequent lessons because children learn at different paces and additional sessions can be critical for water safety. Several members asked staff to return on Jan. 30 with (a) the remaining balance in the youth fee-waiver program, (b) the eligibility and application process for the waiver, and (c) potential program tweaks such as instructor-to-student ratios and an instructor assessment that could allow an instructor to recommend a free follow-up session for a child who needs it. Councilmember Maxwell proposed, and the council agreed, that swim- and rink-specific line items be revisited at the next regular meeting.

The master fee package passed the council with an amendment to add two explicit zero-cost line items to the master fee schedule for replacement of stolen or damaged residential trash containers, and to return with the additional swim and court details. Councilmembers noted the city has Measure P funds targeted to parks and recreation and asked staff to clarify whether Measure P carryover could cover program needs rather than shifting costs to families.

What’s next: Staff will return with the youth fee-waiver balance and implementation details on the swim program, plus refined pricing for the inline-hockey rink and community court reservations.

Sources: Parks director (staff presentation); Councilmembers Tyler Maxwell, Nick Richardson, Nelson Esparza; Council proceedings (Jan. 9, 2025).