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Maricopa cuts facility rental fees, adopts new rental policy to boost local use
Summary
Council approved reduced rates for rooms, courts and open spaces and an updated rental policy that adds league discounts, off‑peak promos and a path to attract large tournaments; pools remain governed by separate agreements.
David McLeish, the city’s recreation superintendent, told council the goal of the fee and policy revisions is to increase facility utilization and encourage local programming. He said proposed changes include lower base rates for indoor rooms, the Great Lawn and multipurpose lawns, a youth/adult league discount for organizations with at least 75% Maricopa residents and an off‑peak 20% discount for weekday reservations before 4 p.m.
McLeish said the proposed adjustments would reduce most rates and that the city’s current rates are already lower than many peer cities. "There's absolutely no red. We're not seeing any increases," he said when walking through the fee tables. He also described a plan to market the changes, including targeted promotions, a facility booking brochure and quarterly usage reports for council.
Council members asked for more data on court and pool utilization; staff replied pool usage is governed by separate long‑term agreements and would require amendment to apply new discounts. Council member Lerman requested quarterly reports and Mayor Nancy Smith and others pressed staff to ensure discounts are applied uniformly where possible. The council approved item 8.4 (fee reductions) and item 8.5 (rental policy) on successive motions.
What happens next: staff will implement the fee schedule and rental policy changes, begin marketing the rate reductions, and produce utilization reports to track the policy’s effect.
