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Committee recommends 7.5% fee increase for community use of public facilities
Summary
After reviewing CUF’s fund balance and fee scenarios, the Education and Culture Committee voted to recommend a 7.5% fee-rate increase to the full council to improve CUF solvency and preserve subsidy programs.
Chair Will Jawando convened the committee’s budget review of Community Use of Public Facilities (CUF) on April 13 and the department presented operating and fund-balance pressures behind a proposed fee-rate strategy.
Janelle Burwell, director of CUF, described CUF as a non-tax-supported enterprise fund that relies on facility-rental fees and transfers. Burwell said CUF’s FY26 closeout produced a negative fund balance and that growing operating costs—especially reimbursements to Montgomery County Public Schools—have eroded reserves. “We still have to look at CAP and FFAP,” Burwell said, referring to CUF’s subsidy programs, and warned that lower fee increases would slow CUF’s ability to reach its 10% reserve target.
Council staff laid out four scenarios: no increase (projected severe deficits), a flat 5% increase (solvent through FY30 but risks thereafter), a flat 7.5% increase (interagency coordinating board recommendation and projected to meet six-year targets) and the county executive’s larger tiered increase of up to 12.5% for out-of-county users. Staff highlighted a starting negative beginning fund balance of $68,392 in the six-year projection and cautioned that utilization and future MCPS MOU rates remain uncertain.
After questions about customer-satisfaction data, outreach to underrepresented groups and the timeline for an updated MOU with MCPS, Councilmember Evans moved to include the 7.5% increase in a committee resolution; Councilmember Mink seconded and the three-member committee agreed by raised hands. Chair Jawando said the committee will forward the recommendation to the full council as the committee’s formal position.
The committee also asked CUF to follow up on: (1) updated customer-satisfaction measures when program metrics are available in July–August, (2) a clearer racial-equity vision and outreach plan to ensure access for underserved groups, and (3) negotiations with MCPS on the MOU that could affect future reimbursements. The recommendation is advisory to the full eleven-member council; any final adoption of specific hourly rates and a resolution will be set during the council’s budget reconciliation process.
