Tomball council updates master fee schedule and adds refundable maintenance deposit for park reservations

The Tomball City Council voted unanimously to adopt updates to the city’s master fee schedule and to add a refundable maintenance deposit for park and facility reservations.

Staff described Resolution No. 2025‑54 as a package of updates to the fiscal year 2025–26 master fee schedule that raises the minimum civil plan review fee to $225, adds water and gas meter installation fees for commercial taps, updates commercial solid-waste overage charges and sports-court rental wording for consistency. Council approved that resolution by voice vote.

Separately, council debated whether to add a cleanup or litter fee to the master fee schedule or to handle a refundable deposit administratively through the reservation application. Several council members cited other cities’ practices; one councilmember described Del Rio’s approach of charging a $100 rental fee with an $80 refundable deposit that is forfeited if renters leave excessive trash. Staff suggested a deposit around $200 as a starting estimate depending on damage or cleanup needs but recommended a brief survey of comparable cities before fixing an amount. The council amended Administrative Policy No. 23 to implement a refundable maintenance deposit for all city facilities, with the amount to be set by city staff. The motion to adopt the policy as amended passed 5–0.

Staff said the deposit will be refundable when facilities are returned in acceptable condition and noted that the application and administrative process will be updated to collect deposits without holding banking information. Council asked staff to return with a recommended deposit amount after the survey and to report any administrative issues encountered during implementation.