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Committee advances Rec and Park fee changes, prompting questions on nonprofit and youth impacts
Summary
The committee advanced amendments to the Park Code to change special-event permit fees to a venue-capacity model and to revise athletic-field fees, proposing a phased nonprofit rate; supervisors sought clarity on how new revenue will be appropriated and how fees would affect youth groups.
Recreation and Park staff presented two related ordinances to adjust permit and athletic-field fees. Denny, director of operations for Rec and Park, described a shift from per‑participant pricing to a flat fee based on venue capacity for special-event permits (for venues such as Sharon Meadow and Dolores Park). Terry Schwartz, superintendent of citywide services, explained athletic-field fees would be applied hierarchically, preserving free access for schools and Rec and Park programs but charging private organizations for specialized events.
Staff said fee adjustments were benchmarked against other cities and proposed a three‑year phased implementation for nonprofit rates (25% of commercial fee the first year, 35% the second, and 50% the third). Staff projected the program would produce a modest net increase in revenue in the first partial implementation year—about $75,000 above current collections—and estimated implementation‑year revenues of about $960,000 and $1,060,000 for subsequent years.
Supervisors sought specifics: where new revenue would be spent, whether additional appropriation authority is required, and whether commonly used youth groups (including CYO and private youth leagues) would begin to pay. Staff replied that permit fees go into the department general‑fund account and that any spending of new revenue would require appropriation authority; they listed likely uses as maintenance and repairs, field management, and addressing deferred play-structure and rooftop repairs.
Committee members also clarified exemptions: San Francisco Unified School District programs and Rec and Park’s own programs would not pay; other youth leagues that are not part of those categories could be charged (staff noted proposed practice fees for some events such as tournaments or clinics).
After discussion the committee agreed to send the ordinances forward to the full Board for consideration; item 3 was taken by roll call and the items were forwarded without recommendation from the committee.
