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Parks & Rec director outlines broad fee rewrite; residents worry about horse‑arena costs
Summary
Parks & Recreation Director Emily presented a revised fee schedule covering skate programs, private parties, special events, arena rentals and sponsorships. Several public commenters including a Saddle Club representative and Bettina urged keeping horse‑arena fees affordable for volunteer groups and asked for clearer bathroom/access rules.
Parks & Recreation Director Emily presented a community‑informed revision of the department's fee schedule, proposing changes to skate program pricing, new weekday private‑party rates, a party cleanup fee, sliding special‑event and amplified‑music fees, new court and dog‑park rental rates, an expanded full‑facility rental package and sponsorship levels for city events.
Emily said the changes respond to community outreach and comparable amenities in neighboring jurisdictions. "If you look down and see a few items...that's where we see that sliding scale for events that look to have amplified music," Emily said, describing a tiered approach for small, moderate and major events.
Public commenters urged council to keep the horse arena affordable for volunteer groups and fundraisers. A representative of the Blue Lake Saddle Club said proposed fee increases could make it "financially impossible" to continue volunteer practices and urged consideration of alternatives such as membership models or an MOU with the club. Council agreed to form an ad hoc (Elise Scafani and Mayor John Swatzky named in the motion text) to work with staff and return a refined fee schedule at the April meeting.
