Pleasanton staff recommend three‑year phase‑in of field rental fees; resident urges audit of REACH Soccer Club residency rules

Recreation Manager Eric Bueno presented data on the first six months of a new cosponsor sports field rental policy and recommended a three‑year phased approach to increase user fees and shrink the city subsidy.

"Since July 1, three seasons have been concluded…these figures in front of you are actuals," Bueno said, reporting $30,540 in fees collected during the initial implementation period and projecting nearly $53,700 in revenue for the upcoming spring season. Staff estimated total FY 2025–26 revenue at about $84,200 under the proposed schedule.

Why it matters: The recommendation would step user rates upward over three years to recover more of maintenance costs while smoothing increases for local user groups. Staff cited a benchmark of neighboring municipalities and an internal cost model that estimated roughly $50 per hour to maintain natural grass fields and $80 per hour for synthetic turf.

The proposal: Staff recommended a progressive schedule with roughly 5% increases year over year for cosponsored groups, moving subsidy recovery from approximately 92.5% toward lower subsidy levels across three years and charging higher per‑hour rates for synthetic turf to reflect replacement costs (staff said synthetic turf typically requires replacement every 7–10 years).

Questions and data: Commissioners asked whether tournament or weekend rates for out‑of‑town events were included; Bueno said the current model does not charge an additional tournament rate but staff have discussed weekend or daily tournament pricing as a future refinement. Commissioners also requested before‑and‑after usage tables so City Council can see baseline comparisons accounting for previously booked but unused field time.

Public comment and equity concerns: During public comment a resident alleged the REACH Soccer Club is prioritizing out‑of‑town players and circumventing the city's 70% residency co‑sponsor requirement by counting recreational players toward the residency quota while competitive teams draw mostly nonresidents. "We are witnessing a pattern of discrimination and retaliation…our daughters are being pushed out of competitive teams in favor of nonresidents," the commenter said, requesting a team‑level residency audit and a tightening of co‑sponsor terms.

Commission action: A commissioner moved that the Parks & Recreation Commission recommend that City Council adopt the master fee schedule updates (motion moved by Speaker 5 and seconded by Speaker 2). Commissioners discussed outreach, phased increases and the option of tournament fees; the transcript shows the commission proceeded to take a vote but the roll‑call tally or formal result is not captured in the provided segments.

What’s next: Staff said the three‑year approach is intended to allow cosponsor groups to plan and that the Burnell Community Park MOU will exempt certain groups from fees until that agreement expires (staff said that MOU expires Nov. 1, 2026). The commission’s recommendation will go to City Council for final action.