Title
Review and Recommend the Recreation and Parks Department 2022 Annual User Fee Schedule.
Body
To: Honorable Chair and Members of the Recreation and Park Commission
From: Amy Wooldridge, Recreation and Parks Director
Re: Review and Recommend the Recreation and Parks Department 2022 Annual User Fee Schedule.
BACKGROUND
On January 22, 1992, the City Council adopted Resolution Number 12191, codifying all fees for services into a Citywide fee schedule (Fee Schedule). This Fee 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 proposed Recreation and Park User Fees (Exhibit 1) are reviewed annually by the City’s Recreation and Park Commission with its recommendation brought forward to the City Council. The ARPD staff reviewed the current fees and recommended adjustments based on its budget in combination with fee comparisons with other local jurisdictions including San Leandro, Emeryville, Piedmont, Fremont, Union City, and San Ramon, in addition to comparisons for swim lessons and large rental venues in Alameda.
The Fee Schedule is updated annually as part of the City budget process, which begins July 1. Due to the timing of summer recreation programs, the ARPD User Fee Schedule is adopted earlier, with an implementation date of January 1. However, the school-year fees are noted separately with a start date of August to coincide with the start of the school year. On January 22, 1992, the City Council adopted Resolution Number 12191, codifying all fees for services into a Citywide fee schedule (Fee Schedule). This Fee 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.
No fees were increased for 2021, per City Council direction, due to the economic hardship many residents faced due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
DISCUSSION
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 as a whole system while balancing the benefits for the community and individuals. For example, programs that are available to a broad section of the community as well as at-risk populations, such as the free Parks and Playgrounds Program, free Summer Park Baseball, and Mastick Senior Center activities have a lower cost recovery rate than programs with specific group or individual benefit, such as facility rentals, summer camps, or adult sports leagues with a higher cost recovery rate to offset and balance the total budget and help fund administrative costs. The overall cost recovery for recreation services is approximately 75%.
As described below, fees were added or adjusted to address rising costs, to restructure fees for efficiency, and to create opportunities for new programming. The overall market and cost comparison relative to programs in other cities and in Alameda were also considered (Exhibit 2). Additionally, all fees were reviewed in detail to confirm if a Non-Resident rate was included. If not, then a Non-Resident rate is proposed that is at least 10% higher than the Resident rate.
The following fees are proposed for 2022:
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PROPOSED CHANGES TO EXISTING FEES |
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FEE TYPE |
PROPOSED 2022 FEE |
CURRENT 2021 FEE |
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Athletic Field Youth League - Non-Profits |
$7 / Hour |
$6 / Hour |
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This fee is being incrementally increased each year by $1 to improve cost recovery of field maintenance and supplies such as fertilizer, infield dirt, equipment maintenance and water costs. |
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Field Light Use |
$30 / Hour |
$25 / Hour |
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This adjustment is to recover increasing electricity costs for field light usage. Has not been increased in over ten years. |
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Field Clean-Up & Lock Up |
$50 per incident |
$25 / Hour |
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Changing to a flat rate and adding lock up. Some organizations forget to move and lock their goals off the field after use which becomes a maintenance and safety concern. |
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Alameda Point Gym |
Alameda Youth Org / Schools Practice $37 / hr Game/Tournament $40 / hr |
Alameda Youth Org / Schools Practice $35 / hr Game/Tournament $38 / hr |
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During the adoption of the 2020 User Fee Schedule, City Council gave direction on an incremental fee increase spread out over three years. This is the second step of that fee adjustment because no fees were increased in 2021. |
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Private Swim Lessons |
Resident $30 / lesson Non-Res $35 / lesson |
Resident $26.67 / lesson Non-Res $30.39 / lesson |
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This fee continues to be lower than other private swim lessons in Alameda and covers increasing staff costs. Private swim lessons are in high demand and consistently have dozens of children on the wait list. |
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Adult Sports |
Resident $68/game; NR $78/game 2 Official Games Resident $76/game; NR $87/game |
See Exhibit 1. Reorganized all fees from season to per game and consolidated. |
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Combined fees for leagues that require one official (referee/umpire) versus two officials. Also reorganized to a per game fee rather than per season fee. This provides significantly more flexibility in programming such as for a short 5-game season. |
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Mastick Social Hall Facility Rental |
Resident $175 / hour Non-Res $200 / hour Commercial Kitchen Use Only Resident $75 / hour Non-Res $100 / hour |
Resident $150 / hour Non-Res $175 / hour Commercial Kitchen Use Only Resident $52 / hour Non-Res $77 / hour |
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Due to the pandemic, the Saturday BINGO program was put on hold and most likely will not return. This provides increased flexibility for renting the social hall on weekends as a large event venue. Additionally, the pandemic brought a growth of micro-restaurant businesses seeking a commercial kitchen to rent. These costs are commensurate with other large venues in Alameda. |
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Tiny Tots |
Resident $8.25 / hour Non-Res $9.50 / hour |
$8 / hour |
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This increase will offset the increase in minimum wage as well as other rising costs for supplies and staff. This fee remains well below other pre-K programs in Alameda, in part because it is a recreation-based program and not a licensed pre-school program. ARPD’s philosophy is to be accessible and serve everyone in our community. An example of this fee adjustment for the 2 days/week program is $672 to $693, net increase of $21. A Non-Resident rate was added. |
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RAP - Recreation After School Program |
Resident $4.54 / hour Non-Res $5.22 / hour |
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Previously, RAP fees were charged on a per season basis and were built based on fees per week and by the number of days a child participated each week. For simplicity and flexibility, the proposal is to change to an hourly rate. This fee, when calculated out for the entire session, is a 5% increase from the 2020 fees. There was no fee increase in 2021 due to the pandemic, however staff and program costs have continued to rise. A Non-Resident rate was added. |
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Youth Camp Programs (WOW, Day Camp, Break Camps, Teens) |
5% increase |
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All camps are proposed to increase by 5% from the 2020/2021 fee to account for increased staff, facility and program costs. Part-time staff costs increase at a rate of 3% - 5% each year. The proposal also includes eliminating the option for 3 and 4 day weeks for WOW as it is less disruptive and easier to staff a full 5-day week and most families prefer this option. |
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Santa Visits |
$25 - $41 / visit |
$41 / visit |
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The pandemic necessitated adding virtual Santa Visits. These proved to be very popular and require significantly less time than in-person visits due to no need for travel time. Santa can do multiple visits on his computer rather than travel around town on his sleigh! Therefore, a lower rate is proposed for virtual visits as more can be provided during each block of time. |
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NEW PROPOSED FEES |
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FEE TYPE |
PROPOSED 2022 FEES |
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Veteran’s Building - Room 390 |
Resident $75 / hour Non-Res $100 / hour |
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This room was not included in previous fee schedules but there is interest in renting it and adding this fee provides that option. |
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Recreation Centers - Alameda Non-Profit |
Bayport, Leydecker, Krusi $71 / hour Lincoln (Harrison) $94 / hour |
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This fee provides a 25% discount for Alameda non-profit organizations. These organizations express interest in using the recreation centers for smaller events but the existing fees are not affordable for their fundraising events. |
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Semi-Private Swim Lessons |
Resident $25 / lesson Non-Res $30 / lesson |
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Adding semi-private provides more flexibility so there is a lower rate option for two siblings or friends to take a class together at a lower rate per person than a private lesson. |
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Tennis Lessons - Non-Resident |
Adult Group $23 / hour Youth Group $23 / hour Private $51 / hour Semi-Private $68 / hour (2 people) |
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Tennis lessons previously only had a resident rate so a new Non-Resident rate is being added. |
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Mastick Fundraiser Sales |
Varies by item |
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This fee offers flexibility for fundraising programs which include book sales and memorial board plaques, managed by the Mastick Senior Center Advisory Board. |
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Leader in Training |
Resident $30 / week Non-Res $35 / week |
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This is for youth who are gaining job experience by volunteering in summer camp programs. Previously there was no fee but there is a significant amount of staff time spent in coordinating the program such as training and evaluating all youth volunteers. While this program is not expected to fully recover costs, this fee will help offset costs. Staff reviewed other Leader in Training programs and all charged a fee and some charged as much as the actual camp fee. |
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Alameda Youth Committee |
Resident $50 / year Non-Res $58 / year |
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There is increased interest in this youth leadership development program. It previously was free, however with a participation increase from less than 10 youth to over 40 youth this year, it requires significantly more staff coordination time. This is a nominal fee that helps offset staff costs while also ensuring the program remains accessible to all families. It also ensures a level of commitment by the teens and families. |
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Per Hour for Other Youth Programs - Non-Resident |
$5.75 / hour |
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This is to add a Non-Resident rate |
The overarching goal of the ARPD User Fee Schedule is to provide effective cost recovery with a balanced model of community benefit. The ARPD continues to seek and secure additional program and facility funding through partnerships, grants, donations and fundraising events.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
The Fee Schedule changes are intended to offset expenses as described above per the approved Fiscal Year 2021-22 Budget.
RECOMMENDATION
Make comments and make a recommendation to City Council for the Recreation and Parks Department 2022 Annual User Fee Schedule.
Respectfully submitted,
Amy Wooldridge, Recreation and Parks Director
Exhibits:
1. Proposed 2022 Recreation and Parks User Fee Schedule
2. Comparison Study