San Carlos adopts FY 2026–27 fee schedule but pauses contested youth-sports surcharge

San Carlos City Council on April 27 adopted a package of user-fee and development-impact-fee adjustments for fiscal year 2026–27 but agreed to withhold a proposed $43 per-player secondary-season fee for youth sports and directed staff to return for additional study.

The adopted resolution (2026-44) implements an annual CPI-W adjustment (1.7%) on routine user fees, applies index-based increases to certain development impact fees tied to construction-cost indices (staff cited a year-over-year ENR increase used by the municipal code), and adds three new fees to the user-fee schedule. Among departmental changes, staff recommended no increases for many parks-and-recreation rental fees while proposing targeted adjustments (e.g., higher janitorial and security pass-through charges and a higher Wheeler Plaza EV charging rate). The packet also included a new $215 traffic-control-plan review fee intended as an applicant deposit to cover expedited consultant reviews.

Paul Harris, the city’s financial services manager, said the combined adjustments would yield an estimated $177,000 of additional net revenue based on activity levels in the 2022 fee study. During council questioning, staff and department leads described the fee-study methodology, the legal indices that govern some impact-fee updates, and the purpose of the new TCP fee as a mechanism to relieve review backlogs when utility or construction projects need expedited reviews.

The meeting’s most contentious item involved the youth-sports per-player fee structure. Council members, staff and recreation staff reviewed the history of the $86 per-player fee (intended to fund a synthetic-turf replacement reserve for Highlands Park) and a proposed new $43 charge for organizations running a secondary three-month season. Sports-league leaders in the public comment period — including Bob Bolier of San Carlos Youth Softball Association and Kristen Carlson for San Carlos Little League — urged the council to reject or rework the proposal, saying San Carlos’ per-player charges already rank among the highest on the peninsula and the added cost would strain families and nonprofit leagues that also fund capital improvements themselves.

After extended discussion, council members agreed to remove the proposed $43 secondary-season fee from the current fee package and to schedule a study session to examine the equity and structure of sports-field fees. Council members directed staff to return with a recommendation and a timeline for community outreach to the leagues; staff noted the practical timing window — registration and fee collection typically occur later in the year — that will allow a review before new fees would be collected. The remainder of the fee package was approved by unanimous roll call.

What happens next: Staff will prepare a focused study session on sports-field fees, outreach to youth-sport organizations and return with options and revenue estimates. The rest of the FY 2026–27 fee schedule will take effect after the required 60‑day notice period, with many fees becoming effective July 1.