The Village of Oregon Park Board adopted a recommendation to change field and facility reservation fees to a tiered structure and will forward that recommendation to the village board as part of the December fee schedule update.

Staff presented four scenarios — status quo ($2 per hour), a $3-per-hour increase, a per‑activity rate (different prices for practices/games/tournaments) and a tiered model that classified certain parks as "tier 1" or "tier 2." Board members debated the goals of the change: whether the fee should be primarily to raise revenue, to recoup a portion of operating costs, or to manage demand and clarity of reservations.

After discussion about affordability and whether increased reservation fees would be passed to families via registration, a motion was made and amended to adopt a tiered schedule of $6 per hour for tier‑1 premier facilities and $3 per hour for tier‑2 facilities. Andy moved the original tiered motion and Matt seconded the amendment; the motion passed by voice vote with one member recorded in opposition. Board members noted organizations could seek adjustments or exceptions if fees create hardship.

Staff provided an illustrative example during debate: under a previously considered $10/$3 tiered example, staff estimated youth soccer reservation fees would increase from about $12,000 this year to roughly $21,666 under that higher tier; that figure was offered to show potential distributional effects but the board ultimately chose the lower $6/$3 split. Board members said they favored tiering because it reflects the differing levels of investment in and maintenance needs of specific facilities, but several members urged caution and the ability to revisit numbers if unintended consequences emerge.

The board directed staff to prepare the fee change recommendation for the village board and include language about waiver or mitigation options for organizations that can demonstrate financial hardship.