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Recreation & Park proposals spark pushback: committee seeks redesign of court-reservation fee and OKs program-fee authority
Summary
Recreation & Park’s proposals to add a $5 program registration fee for scholarships and a $5 per-hour reservation fee for tennis/pickleball courts drew strong public opposition to court charging; the committee agreed to forward the program-fee ordinance but asked RPD and mayoral staff to redesign the court-reservation approach (protect morning walk-up access, tiered charging, carve-outs for schools/low-income users) and return for follow-up.
The Recreation & Park Department told the Budget & Appropriations Committee on June 20 it needs modest new fee authority to sustain scholarships and to cover reservation administration and court maintenance. RPD proposed a $5 per-program registration fee to build a dedicated source for an expanded scholarship pool and a separate $5-per-hour reservation fee for reservable tennis and pickleball courts.
RPD said the $5 program fee would help sustain the department’s scholarship program, which grew from about $70,000 several years ago to roughly $1.6 million in calendar 2023. Superintendent Nicholas Williams said scholarships help children, people in public housing, foster youth and unhoused residents participate in recreation programs.
Court-reservation controversy: RPD proposed a $5 hourly reservation fee to reduce no-shows and fund court upkeep; RPD’s director of permits explained past reservation-system abuse and reselling. The proposal drew a large and organized public-comment queue: tennis and pickleball players, seniors, coaches and school representatives urged the committee to keep courts free and criticized RPD’s outreach. Speakers proposed alternatives — morning walk-up windows for seniors, targeted charging of private instructors and private schools, tiered exemptions, or delaying reservation windows until the afternoon. Many speakers warned a fee would disproportionately affect seniors, families and low-income users.
Committee action: The committee forwarded the recreation-program fee ordinance to the full Board with a positive recommendation. On the court-reservation fee, supervisors asked RPD and mayoral staff to redesign the policy, including proposals for carve-outs (seniors, schools, scholarship eligibility), a weekday-noon reservation start window, targeted charging for commercial users, and clearer engagement. The deputy city attorney advised that Board action on mayoral fee ordinances is limited to approve or reject unless the mayor accepts amendments; supervisors asked the administration to return quickly with tailored language.
What’s next: The program-fee ordinance will go to the full Board. The court-reservation fee remains undecided and will return after RPD and the mayor’s office develop a revised design to protect walk-up access and provide tiers and exemptions.
