TO:
Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
THROUGH:
Bruce Moe, City Manager
FROM:
Mark Leyman, Parks and Recreation Director
Jessica Vincent, Recreation Manager
Archie Sherman, Recreation Supervisor
Michael Hudak, Recreation Supervisor
Stephanie Kou, Recreation Supervisor
SUBJECT:Title
Facility Reservation Policy, Field Use & Allocation Policy and Proposed Fees (Parks and Recreation Director Leyman).
a) APPROVE
b) PROVIDE DIRECTION
Line
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Recommended Action
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends that City Council approve the Facility Reservation Policy, the Field Use & Allocation Policy and the Proposed Fees.
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
Staff estimates the updated fees for facility, park and field use will result in approximately $130,000 of additional revenue on an annual basis with an increase of approximately $10,000 in facility reservations, $10,000 in park reservations and $110,000 in field rentals.
It is important to note that the proposed fees represent the cost for services that are discretionary on the part of the user. As a result of the proposed “pay per hour” of use model, staff believes regular user groups will be more efficient with scheduling and use. Therefore, revenues from regular user groups may be lower, while non-resident groups, new groups, and resident rentals may be higher.
As recommended by the Parks and Recreation Commission, staff recommends implementing the new parks, facility, and field reservation fees on July 1, 2018, with a two-year phase in for the Youth Sport Organizations’ (YSOs) field fees, beginning on January 1, 2019. Staff will review the fees on an annual basis and also recommends increasing fees based on market rates and inflation every five years.
Staff recommends the turf field revenue derived from approved YSO, estimated to be $75,000 on an annual basis, goes into the Capital Improvements Fund, where the funds will be accumulated over time and available to re-turf the fields as needed.
BACKGROUND:
During the City Council Budget Study Session on May 4, 2017, City Council directed staff to conduct a comprehensive field fee study. The current fee structures for facility, parks and field fees were last updated July 1, 2008. Over the past ten years, market rates and maintenance costs have risen. However, the fees charged by the City have remained unchanged.
In addition to the fee study, staff is bringing an updated Field Use & Allocation Policy and a Facility Reservation Policy for City Council consideration. Staff has worked with the Parks and Recreation Commission to develop these policies. An ad hoc committee comprised of three members of the Commission and City staff met 15 times to develop the Field Use & Allocation Policy and pricing schedule. Additionally, the ad hoc committee met with representatives from the user groups to incorporate their feedback into the policies and procedures and field fee model. YSOs utilize available field space over 80% of the operational hours.
The Recreation Division within the Parks and Recreation Department also allocates Begg and Mira Costa Pool use, reserves Live Oak and Mira Costa High School (MCHS) Tennis Courts, and reserves City and Manhattan Beach Unified School District (MBUSD) fields (with the exception of MCHS turf and varsity baseball fields) for a wide variety of uses. There are 18 fields available for use in Manhattan Beach, 10 of which are MBUSD fields.
DISCUSSION:
Facility Reservation Policy
The Facility Reservation Policy is a working document that has been used internally as a guide for staff to effectively reserve the picnic pads and community rooms. The policy provides use regulations and application, and scheduling procedures to accommodate groups that would like to use City facilities.
Field Use & Allocation Policy and Fees
Per City Council direction, staff conducted a comprehensive field fee study, analyzing and reviewing local benchmark cities’ field fees and found that there was no consistency among the field fees, with the exception of turf field fees ranging from $80-$175 per hour. After analyzing the field fees, staff determined that the Field Use & Allocation Policy needed to be updated to meet the challenge of accommodating field use requests for the growing youth sports programs.
For current field reservations, user groups are divided into two categories: 1) Recreation Based Groups - which include Manhattan Beach Little League, Beach Softball, American Youth Soccer Organization (AYSO) and Pony Baseball; and 2) Club Groups - including Sand & Surf Soccer Club, Beach Cities Sports Flag Football, South Bay Lacrosse Club and Trident Lacrosse Club. Recreation-based groups pay $15 per player each season, while club groups pay the rates of $100 per hour for turf fields and $25 per hour for all other fields.
During the Parks and Recreation Commission meeting on July 24, 2017, an ad hoc committee (comprised of three commission members and staff) was formed to analyze the field fees and discuss options to increase field revenues in order to minimize the subsidy for field maintenance. In addition, the ad hoc committee reviewed field use policies of benchmark cities, including El Segundo, Newport Beach, Irvine, and several other cities nationwide.
In order to allocate fields in a fair and equitable manner, the committee determined the primary focus of the Field Use & Allocation Policy is to:
• Ensure City residents have priority and access to City facilities
• Provide seasonal priority to sports as defined by each youth sport organization
• Develop field allocations based on priority and availability
• Clearly define classifications
• Set strict deadlines for field requests and relinquishing fields
• Develop an appeal process
• Set an hourly rate for field reservations based on desirability of the field
The City has historically provided a program of co-sponsorship of non-profit youth sport groups to maximize recreational opportunities for the youth of Manhattan Beach and use the limited availability of fields. Currently, the City partners with eight YSOs to provide an array of social, recreational and competitive opportunities for youth in a variety of sports. Of the eight, four have paid $15 per player per season since 2008. With the proposed fee increases and the weighted hourly rates as defined below, the per player fee increases will range from $3 for AYSO to $94 for Beach Softball (Attachment 5). This is largely due to the size of the Beach Softball league, the number of hours reserved for games and practices, and the nature and length of the games.
Staff reviewed field use fees of local benchmark cities and found no consistency. However, based on analysis of the current fees and use along with feedback from YSOs, the ad hoc committee developed a “market rate” or standard rate for commercial use. This took into account size of the field, playability, lights, and field type (Attachment 4). The ad hoc committee recommends a discounted non-resident rate, a further discounted rate for residents, and developing a formula to further discount the “market rate” fees for YSOs.
Due to the partnership with the YSOs and the nature of the services provided to youth of Manhattan Beach, the ad hoc committee recommends YSOs receive weighted discounts based on the following factors:
• Approved Youth Sport Organization: 50%
• Residency Rate: Minimum Discount 0% with 60% Residency/Maximum Discount 10% with 100% Residency (the percentage is based on a sliding scale)
• Holds Open Registration: 10%
• Employs Minimum Play Rule: 10%
• Provides Draft for Equitable Teams: 10%
• Plays at least 80% of games within their own Organization: 5%
The greatest discount an organization can receive is a 95% discount from the standard use fee or “market rate”. Additionally, the ad hoc committee proposed a $10 per player fee for non-resident players to encourage YSOs to increase resident youth participation. The YSOs providing the most opportunity for youth receive the greatest discount.
PUBLIC OUTREACH/INTEREST:
YSOs were provided the updated proposed Field Use & Allocation Policy and proposed field fees in February 2018. They were also invited to comment at the Parks and Recreation Commission meetings on March 26 and April 30, 2018. Based on the meetings and feedback received, the ad hoc committee updated the policy and developed a weighted fee structure for the YSOs.
Overall, the user groups were satisfied with the changes to the Field Use & Allocation Policy, including the following updates proposed by the ad hoc committee:
• Reducing the residency rate from 70% to 60% to accommodate approved YSOs. In addition, residency is defined as participants only and does not include volunteers, board members, coaches or referees.
• Updating the allocation process to ensure it is fair, equitable and transparent.
• Expanding user group classifications to include all use types.
• Developing a non-use and exchange of field policy, registration and sponsor banner policy, and storage and concessions policy.
• Providing an appeal process through the Parks and Recreation Commission.
However, all YSOs conveyed some concern with the updated fees, specifically with the change from a per player fee to an hourly rate. If field rates increase, they believe it will be a challenge to contribute to large scale capital projects and pay for supplemental maintenance. They also anticipate a reduction in player development programs should fees increase. The groups indicated that an hourly rate will make it difficult to plan for future budgets.
The user groups provided positive feedback regarding a slight increase in fees to enhance regular maintenance.
A summary of each user groups’ feedback is attached (Attachment 6).
LEGAL REVIEW
The City Attorney has reviewed this report and determined that no additional legal analysis is necessary.
Attachments:
1. Facility Reservation Policy
2. Facility & Park Fees
3. Field Use & Allocation Policy
4. Field Fees
5. Summary of Potential Field Fees and Revenues
6. Summary of Feedback
7. PowerPoint Presentation