Proposed facility fee increases prompt public pushback; staff says fees reflect actual costs
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Summary
Staff presented sample invoices showing the district has been subsidizing facility rentals and proposed higher fees to cover custodial overtime, security and utilities. Community organizations warned proposed increases would sharply raise costs for youth programs; the committee agreed to advance the fee schedule for full‑board review with additional operational follow‑up.
District operations staff presented redacted invoices March 3 to illustrate the fiscal impact of proposed increases to the facility fee schedule in AR 707. Staff explained that the current rates under‑recover custodial overtime, security and utility costs and showed a redacted invoice where the difference under a proposed schedule would be about $10,245 for that event.
Committee members and public commenters pressed for detail about how collected funds would be used. Amy, director of a long‑running local recreation association, told the committee her group has paid more than $80,000 in facility fees to the district over recent years and warned that the proposed changes would double or triple costs for programs, potentially threatening affordability and program viability: “With these new prices, that number more than doubled over the same kind of time period,” she said.
Board members agreed that clearer line items—how much of the change covers overtime, security and field maintenance—should be provided to the full board. Staff also said that some in‑district nonprofit and educational partners had been grandfathered previously and that those arrangements would be preserved unless the board directs otherwise.
The committee decided to move the fee schedule forward to the full board for consideration and asked finance/facilities staff to provide a more detailed cost breakdown and to explore options (for example, hourly vs. block pricing at athletic fields) before final approval.