Residents press Carter Lake council for clearer field scheduling, fees and access to community center facilities

Several residents used the public comment period at the Carter Lake City Council meeting to press for clearer Parks & Recreation policies on field scheduling, community center memberships and concession-stand access.

Trisha Humphrey told the council that Carter Lake teams were being charged or denied use of indoor facilities and fields while some nonresident teams appeared to be using the fields without payment; she asked how the city could ensure fairness and requested that the matter be checked and clarified. Council and staff said Parks & Rec maintains a membership-based formula for facility use and that staff would review the scheduling and membership records and report back. "We will look into it and make sure every[thing]... is even," a councilmember said, assigning Jason to follow up.

Lisa (surname given in the transcript as "Fui") said she runs a youth group and described previous lower-cost arrangements at Carter Lake School; she asked whether the community center policy could accommodate the group's size. Staff explained the community-center policy: resident members can use some facilities without charge, nonresident users pay a daily fee (the transcript cites a $5 daily nonresident day-use amount), and select teams sometimes pay higher rates (a $75-per-game rate for select teams was mentioned in public comment). Parks staff and council agreed to verify membership rosters and counts and to consider those metrics in staff performance numbers.

Janette Banks, parks and rec board secretary, announced upcoming community events including a Sweethearts dance, a health fair and a March 15 5K that will benefit the Carter Lake seniors program.

Public commenters repeatedly urged the council to prioritize fairness and transparency in scheduling and fee enforcement so local children and resident teams are not disadvantaged.