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Proposed facility‑use fee changes draw board concern over impact on boosters and churches
Summary
Staff proposed new Facilitron‑based pricing that shifts some rentals from per‑use to hourly rates and retains a 10% vendor fee; board members asked for a detailed impact analysis before voting on July proposal, citing possible burdens on boosters, civic leagues and churches.
Virginia Beach school officials presented a new online facility‑use system and a proposed fee schedule that would standardize pricing into five tiers, change many per‑use fees to hourly rates and impose a 10% Facilitron fee that also applies to custodial overtime. The board deferred action to a future meeting and asked staff for revenue‑impact analyses and user counts by tier.
Chief Financial Officer Crystal Pate said the Facilitron system, implemented Jan. 16, provides a paperless storefront with real‑time availability, certificate‑of‑insurance tracking and online payments. Risk manager Steve Lepock said Facilitron retains 10% of rental revenue and custodial overtime and that the vendor recommended pricing tiers and market comparisons. "We don't have any upfront cost with them, so if we do well, they do well," staff said.
Staff proposed moving some groups (notably community adult nonprofits and commercial users) to hourly pricing and increasing some facility charges. Examples given: a civic‑league four‑hour gym event rising modestly from $50 to $60 per event in one example, and a large outside tournament previously charged $250 moving to an estimated $1,000 under per‑hour pricing in another. Staff said the pricing structure has not changed in at least 27 years.
Several board members asked how many users fall into each pricing group and whether higher fees for grounds or kitchens would reduce booster revenue that directly benefits students. "My concern is that we're asking them to pay for fundraising that directly benefits the staff and students," one member said of booster groups. Another asked why Facilitron's 10% charge would apply to custodial overtime; staff said that is the vendor's standard practice.
Staff reported there are currently 11 churches using facilities and acknowledged they have turned down some applicants when custodial overtime staffing was unavailable. The proposal is scheduled as an action item at a future meeting; the board requested detailed revenue projections and a breakdown of current users by proposed tier before any vote.
Next steps: staff will provide counts of users per tier, projected revenue and examples of groups in each category for board review ahead of the action vote.
