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Cub Scout leaders ask Fortuna to waive new rec-hall fees, cite loss of storage access
Summary
Cub Scout leaders told the Fortuna City Council the pack faces roughly $2,000 in new annual rental charges after Parks & Recreation began charging nonprofits and revoked access to a long-used storage closet; staff said fee-waiver policies were changed during the FY 2024-25 fee schedule update and will follow up with the group.
Jessica Payne, a Fortuna resident and leader with Cub Scout Pack 4047, told the City Council that her group was recently informed it would be charged $32 per hour to use the Fortuna Rec Hall and could no longer access a locking closet where the pack stores flags and supplies. “We have a locking closet there with all of our supplies and our flags and things that belong just to the scouts,” Payne said during the council's public-comment period.
Vicky Brown, who identified herself as a den leader for Pack 47, provided a cost estimate. She said the pack holds about 36 meetings a year, roughly 20 of them at the rec hall, and meetings typically last two hours. Brown said the new charge would amount to “about $2,000 a year in additional costs” and asked the council to clarify an apparent inconsistency between the department's waiver policy for registered nonprofits and the new charges.
City staff responded that a change during the fiscal 2024-25 fee-schedule adoption removed many nonprofit waivers. The city manager said parks staff have attempted outreach to affected groups and that any relief would need to be considered in light of current budget constraints. Staff said they were open to conversations about a phased or affordable approach for groups that have long used city facilities for free.
The council did not take formal action on the request tonight; staff indicated they would continue discussions with Scout leadership and the Parks & Recreation Department.
