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Staff Report
City Council
Item No. 6.E
Meeting Date: August 23, 2023
From: John Corella, Director of Engineering/Public Works Title: Baseball/Softball Fields Reservation Application and The Fees Policy Manual for Baseball/Softball Field Reservations
City Council
RECOMMENDATION:
For the City Council to approve the Baseball/Softball Field Reservation Application and the Fees and Policy Manual to implement the reservation process for the City's baseball and softball fields; and, review and the pro posed fee structure for future formal approval.
BACKGROUND:
As a result of the City’s past and future year investments in City Parks, there have been several sports organizations requesting long term use of the soccer fields at Dennis Keat Soccer Park a nd the baseball/softball fields at Century, Panorama, and Ocotillo Parks.
The City initiated this process years back by executing an agreement with AYSO (American Youth Soccer Organization) to use the majority of the soccer fields at Dennis Keat Park and have them reserved during AYSO’s specified season. The agreement with AYSO also had provisions for participation in the cost of watering the fields, electrical costs to power the lights and specifics regarding “sweat equity” to maintain/clean the bathroo ms and provide light maintenance of the irrigation system watering the field.
The agreement with AYSO, proved challenging in several areas, but required a significant amount of Staff and Attorney time and resources to negotiate, develop and modify the a greement. Given, the time and resources it took to create this agreement, City Staff has looked to other cities to learn about their reservation processes.
Staff reviewed application processes throughout and outside the Coachella Valley to streamline the park reservation process for the City of Cathedral City. Staff gathered information from various cities and found it is common practice to have an application with a supporting Policy Manual. Having both the application and Policy Manual ensures there exi sts various rules and regulations for better management, regarding field
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reservations. The purpose of a Policy Manual for baseball/softball field reservations is to provide clear guidelines and procedures for reserving and using fields. It helps to ensure fairness and consistency in the reservation process, as well as providing information to applicants about rules or regulations to follow when reserving the fields.
Since there can be a multitude of reservations for various park facilities, e.g., soccer, basketball, volleyball courts, etc., Staff has specifically targeted the ability to accommodate organization(s) requesting the use of the baseball/softball fields at Century, Panorama, and Ocotillo Parks.
Staff has completed the research for streamlining t he application process to facilitate the reservation of baseball/softball fields. As a result, City staff has developed an application and a Policy Manual allow ing organized baseball/softball groups to apply for short-term and/or long-term baseball/softball reservations fields in the City’s parks.
DISCUSSION:
On June 28, 2023, Staff presented City Council a Draft Baseball/Softball Field Reservation Application. Following the presentation, City Council made specific comments and suggestions Staff has since addressed and are shown in the attached document of the Baseball/Softball Field Reservation Application.
In addition to incorporating the changes recommended by the City Council, Staff consulted with other municipalities and developed the attached Fees a nd Policy Manual. The Fees and Policy Manual for Baseball/Softball Field Reservations (Manual) was created with the purpose of providing a general policy, guidance, and fee structure for the reservation of baseball/softball fields within the City limits.
In June 2023, the Desert Recreation District (District) completed a Fee Study for Cities in the Coachella Valley and developed a Rental Guide for facility reservation . Staff used this document as an accurate representation of the fees associated to baseba ll/softball field reservations. Both documents are attached to this report.
Based on the District’s Fee Study and Rental Guide, and in consultation with Clear Source Financial Consulting (City’s consultant that provided services to develop the current Use r Fee Study), City Staff developed a fee structure aligned with the City recreational needs and is competitive when compared to the fee structures adopted by other Cities within the Coachella Valley.
The proposed fee structure introduces a classification for types of baseball/softball field users (residents, non -residents, non-profit organizations, and commercial groups) . This further identifies fees by users to offset a small portion of the costs associated with the maintenance of the fields. The proposed fee structure is shown in the table below.
Organized
Baseball/Softball
Group
Resident
Rate
Non-
Resident
Rate
Non-Profit
Group
Commercial
Group
Daytime Field Use Fee $30/hour $35/hour $10/hour $40/hour Maximum Daytime Field $225/8 hours $262/8 hours $75/8 hours $300/8 hours
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Use Fee
Lighted Field Use $30/hour $40/hour $30/hour $60/hour
Field Preparation $60/Field $60/Field $60/Field $60/Field Field Cleaning/Security
Deposit
$275/Permit $275/Permit $275/Permit $275/Permit
Administrative Fee $20/Permit $30/Permit $20/Permit $40/Permit Concession Stand Use
Fee
$25/Day $30/Day $25/Day $35/Day
Concession Stand
Security Deposit
$500/Permit $500/Permit $500/Permit $500/Permit
Although investments made by the City to maintain baseball/softball fields canno t be fully recovered, the proposed fee structure aims to offset a small portion of the expenses at a competitive rate when compared to other cities.
Most importantly, the proposed fees provide a value in the reservation of the fields so that reservations made by organizations and/or groups are observed. The purpose of providing a value to the reservation is to deter organizations that may be inclined to make reservations they will not fulfill, thus, precluding others from using the fields on the same dates of the reservations.
As mentioned above, City Staff has verified the proposed fee structure is aligned and competitive when compared to the fee structures adopted by other Cities within the Coachella Valley. The recently completed fee study from Desert Recreation District is a comprehensive validation of fees adopted by other Cities and eliminates the need for another survey in this regard.
Staff is recommending the City Council approve the Baseball/Softball Field Reservation Application and the Fees a nd Policy Manual to implement the reservation process for the City's baseball and softball fields.
Staff is also requesting City Council review the proposed fee structure. If fees are deemed acceptable to the City Council, then the required resolution wi ll be brought before the City Council for formal adoption at an upcoming City Council meeting.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no fiscal impact for the approval of this item. When the actual fees are adopted and implemented, the collected amounts will minimally offset the overall actual costs for maintenance, replacement and other expenses related to the baseball/softball fields, field lights and concession stands.
FIVE-YEAR STRATEGIC PLAN:
GOAL B: COMMUNITY INVESTMENT
Objective: Cathedral City roads, gateway s, public spaces, and other city infrastructure are well planned, designed, constructed, and maintained.
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GOAL C: FISCAL STABILITY AND SUSTAINABILITY
Objective: Cathedral City has economically prospered by facilitating the investment of private dollars in high quality development which benefits the community. We remain financially solvent by instituting prudent fiscal policies and transparent financial practices.
GOAL D: INNOVATION
Objective: Cathedral City continually focusses on improving service deliv ery and customer experiences by successfully leveraging technology and creative initiatives to improve public services, public safety, and stimulate economic growth.
ATTACHMENTS:
Baseball and Softball Field Reservation Application - FINAL Fees and Policy Manual
Desert Recreation - Fee Study 06-30-2023
Desert Recreation District - Rental Guide