Title
Public Hearing to Consider Adoption of Resolution Amending Master Fee Resolution No. 12191 to Add and Revise Recreation and Park Fees. (Recreation 280)
Body
To: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
From: Jill Keimach, City Manager
Re: Public Hearing to Consider Amending 2017 Master User Fee Schedule to Add and Revise Recreation and Park Fees
BACKGROUND
On January 22, 1992, the City Council adopted Resolution Number 12191, codifying all fees for services into a City-wide fee schedule (Schedule). This Schedule is updated each year, via resolution, to reflect changes in the cost of providing services as well as in the Consumer Price Index for the San Francisco Bay Area.
The Recreation and Park User Fees are reviewed annually by the Recreation and Park Commission with a recommendation brought forward to the City Council. The Alameda Recreation and Park Department (ARPD) reviewed its current fees and made adjustments based on existing conditions in combination with cost comparisons with other local jurisdictions including San Leandro, Pleasanton, Union City, and San Ramon (Exhibit 2).
On October 13, 2016, the Recreation and Parks Commission reviewed and recommended the 2017 Recreation and Parks User Fee Schedule as presented.
DISCUSSION
The City’s Schedule is updated annually as part of the City budget process, which has a start date of July 1st. Due to the timing of summer recreation programs, the Recreation and Park User Fee Schedule (Exhibit 1) is adopted earlier, with the implementation date being January 1, 2017. However, the school-year fees are noted separately with a start date of August 2017 to coincide with the start of the school year.
Fees represent direct costs for program staff time, facility maintenance and utilities, plus indirect costs for administrative staff time and supplies. Fees are intended to recover costs while balancing the benefits for the community and individuals. For example, programs that are available to a broad section of the community, such as the free Parks and Playgrounds program or Recreation Afterschool Program (RAP), have a lower cost recovery rate than programs with individual benefit to specific user groups such as adult softball.
The following fees were adjusted for 2017:
|
Fee Type |
Proposed 2017 Fees |
Adopted 2016 Fees |
|
FACILITY AND FIELD USE CHANGES |
|
|
|
Athletic Field Youth League - Resident |
$3 / Hour |
$2 / Hour |
|
Athletic Field Youth League - Non-Resident |
$30 / hour |
$5 / hour |
|
Alameda Point Gymnasium - Tournament Fee |
$250 plus hourly |
$150 plus hourly |
|
Resident Youth Team (Pool) - (75% Alameda Participants) Encinal |
$25 / hour (Newly Remodeled) |
$15/ hour |
|
Resident Adult Team (Pool) - (75% Alameda Participants) Encinal |
$35 / hour (Newly Remodeled) |
$16/ hour |
|
NEW FEES |
|
|
|
Alameda Point Gymnasium - Overtime Charge |
$250/ hour |
New Fee |
|
Pool Rental Commercial Use - Alameda Business |
$100 / hour |
New Fee |
|
Pool Rental Commercial Use - Non-Alameda Business |
$125 / hour |
New Fee |
|
O’Club Event Set up/table & chair Rental (Events over 150 attendance) |
$150 / event |
New Fee |
|
Portable Toilet Fee |
$85 / Regular Toilet $115 / ADA Toilet |
New Fee |
|
RAP - Kindergarten Early Dismissal Fee per session |
$50 - $150 |
New Fee |
|
Outside Contractor Park Use Fee |
$250 / year plus liability insurance |
New Fee |
|
PROGRAM FEE CHANGES |
|
|
|
Late Payment Charge Youth Programs |
$15 - $30 |
$30 |
|
Summer Bus Rental |
$164/day plus $3.50/ mile plus $20/hour |
$133/day plus $3.50/ mile plus $15/hour |
|
Tiny Tots - Program Fee |
$7 / hour |
$6.26 / hour |
|
The following program fees were increased by 3%: • Recreational After School Program (RAP) • World of Wonder (WOW) • Teens • Aquatics • Day Camps • Break Camps • One Day Camps and Workshops |
The field use fee was increased in order to better balance the expense to manage and maintain athletic fields, including staff time for maintenance and scheduling, supplies such as fertilizer, infield dirt, equipment maintenance for mowers, and water costs. The youth athletic organizations were all informed of the proposed change at the 2016 fall field scheduling meeting, hosted by ARPD. The current fees raise $40,000 in revenue for field maintenance. However, this field maintenance cost totals over $120,000 annually so only one-third of the actual expense is being captured.
The field use fee for non-resident youth leagues was increased to be more in line with the private rental rate of $40 per hour. Due to the high demand for fields with Alameda youth organizations in a higher priority category, this fee is used for only a small percentage of rentals.
The tournament fee for the Alameda Point Gymnasium increase is to better recover total expenses for utilities, restroom and cleaning supplies. This gymnasium is significantly larger than other city or school gym facilities. The new overtime fee for the Alameda Point Gymnasium is to address organizations that often do not adhere to their requested amount of time for tournaments, which creates scheduling issues. This overtime charge is designed to encourage organizations to reserve adequate amount of time for their tournaments.
The increase in the Encinal Pool Use is based on the newly remodeled swim facility that opened June 2016. This brings the ARPD pool use fees closer in line with other cities and provides a higher level of cost recovery, although the pool revenues do not fully cover the expenses. Alameda pool use fees have previously been significantly lower than surrounding jurisdictions with the justification that the facilities were poor quality and not in compliance with pool size regulations for swim and water polo meets. Over the last two years leading up to and during construction, ARPD has informed the current pool user groups that the fees would increase for the Encinal Swim Center once it opened and they have agreed. The fees at Emma Hood remain unchanged.
The new commercial rate for pool use is to create a category for businesses that want to use the pool for for-profit purposes. The new category will help differentiate between resident private use (such as a child’s birthday pool party) and private for-profit use such as lessons that are not managed by ARPD.
The new O’Club rate for large group (150 or more in attendance) event set up will help offset the staff time required to set up and take down tables and chairs such large events. Currently, users only pay for the actual hours of their event.
The new rate for rental use of portable toilets is the direct cost of renting these facilities for large events held in ARPD facilities.
The kindergarten early dismissal fee is to recover staff costs. The Alameda Unified School District (AUSD) now has full-day kindergarten so those children are joining the RAP after school programs. However, AUSD also has numerous early dismissal days specifically for kindergarten, in which they are released a couple hours prior to the first through fifth graders. This fee recovers those additional staffing hours.
The outside contractor park use fee is to address people that use the open park areas for private classes in areas such as on the grass, benches and open asphalt. This annual fee, along with a requirement for liability insurance, will create a process for these private classes.
The summer bus lease increase is due to the rising contract costs for ARPD to lease the bus from an outside agency.
The Tiny Tot fees and other youth programs are being increased to absorb the state minimum wage increase from $10.00 per hour to $10.50 per hour. This impacts all of the ARPD youth programs that utilize part-time recreation leaders. The Tiny Tot fee is still far below most private pre-school programs and the other youth programs are below or similar to comparable programs.
The overarching goal of the Recreation and Park User Fee Schedule is to provide effective cost recovery with a balanced model of community benefit. The Recreation and Park Department continues to seek and secure additional program and facility funding through partnerships, grants, donations and fundraising events.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
The Recreation and Park User Fee Schedule changes are anticipated to generate a minimal change to the Recreation Fund 280. The proposed new and increased fees are intended to offset additional expenses as described above.
MUNICIPAL CODE/POLICY DOCUMENT CROSS REFERENCE
This action does not affect the Alameda Municipal Code.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
This action is not a project and is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to Section 15378 (b)(4) of the CEQA Guidelines, because it involves governmental fiscal activities (revising recreation and park fees), which does not involve any commitment to any specific project which may result in a potentially significant physical impact on the environment.
RECOMMENDATION
Public hearing to consider amending 2017 Master User Fee Schedule to add and revise Recreation and Park fees.
Respectfully submitted,
Amy Wooldridge, Recreation and Parks Director
Financial Impact section reviewed,
Elena Adair, Finance Director
Exhibits:
1. 2017 Recreation and Parks Department User Fee Schedule
2. Fee Comparison Fiscal Year 16-17