DATE: 04/16/2025
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
FROM: Community Services Department
2025-172
REQUEST FOR CITY COUNCIL ACTION
SUBJECT:
ATHLETIC FIELD RATES AD-HOC COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION FOR
EVERYONE PLAYS YOUTH SPORTS GROUPS
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
This staff report asks the City Council to receive an update on the Athletic Field Rates Ad-Hoc Committee’s recommendations for Everyone Plays Youth Sports Groups and approve the proposed cost recovery target and field rates for FY 2026 and FY 2027.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
That the City Council:
a. Receive an update on the Ad-Hoc Committee’s recommendations for Everyone Plays youth sports groups.
b. Approve the proposed cost recovery target for Everyone Plays Youth Sports Groups of 20-30%.
c. Approve the proposed athletic field reservation rates for Everyone Plays Youth Sports Groups of $7/hr. for FY 2026 and $10/hr. for FY 2027.
BACKGROUND & HISTORY:
Athletic field reservation rates have not received an increase since 2019. In early 2024, the City conducted a fee study of all citywide fees and charges. During this study, staff evaluated fees for city programs and services and recommended fee adjustments to help move toward the cost recovery goals identified in the Parks and Recreation Master Plan (PRMP). The most significant adjustment was to increase the Group II Resident Recreation Non-Profit rate to $20/hr. After the rate adjustments were approved, staff discovered several leagues in this category were paying outdated Group II rates of $4/hr. and $5/hr., which was previously only offered to sports groups that were members of the Youth Sports Advisory Council (YSAC). The YSAC was eliminated in 2019. However, the reassignment of these groups to other rate categories did not occur. This compounded the level of the rate increase for these sports groups, making it much larger than initially anticipated.
On February 7, 2024, the City Council adopted the Parks and Recreation Master Plan (PRMP), which created a unified vision and plan for the enhancement and long-term sustainability of parks, recreation facilities, and programs. A key component of the PRMP was the development of a Financial Sustainability Strategy to ensure the long-term sustainability of the parks system. This strategy focused on the “3-leggged stool approach,” which consisted of 1) identifying and grouping programs into like service categories; 2) determining who benefits from the service; and 3) analyzing the cost of the service for each category. Services found to have a “common good” benefit were recommended to receive higher subsidies and lower cost recovery, and services found to have an “individualized benefit” were recommended for lower subsidies and higher cost recovery.
Youth Sports were categorized as Skill-Based Activities along with several other recreation classes and activities. This category was determined to have more of an individualized benefit and was recommended for a cost recovery rate of 70-90%. Based on the revenue and expenditure data received for this service category, it was found that youth sports were currently only recovering 12% of their costs through athletic field reservation rates. This prompted staff’s recommendation to increase these rates to help move toward the cost recovery target identified in the PRMP.
Once the rate increases were implemented, the City received considerable feedback from the community expressing concerns about the proposed $20/hr rate. They believed the rate was unrealistic, provided too much of an increase too soon, and claimed it would negatively impact families. The community also stated that the cost recovery target of 70- 90% needed to be considerably lower, and any rate increases should be phased in over time.
On October 16, 2024, the City Council directed staff to do the following:
1. Pause the rate increase for athletic field reservations.
2. Separate cost recovery policy from field allocation policy.
3. Create a new service category for Everyone Plays Youth Sports Leagues
4. Set cost recovery goals at less than 50% for this new service category.
5. If a rate increase is needed to achieve cost recovery goals, start all leagues at the rate they are currently paying. Phase in the rate increase over multiple years.
6. Create an Ad-Hoc Committee with community stakeholders to develop a joint solution.
ANALYSIS:
The Ad-Hoc Committee formed in January 2025 and held six biweekly meetings from January 13 to March 24, 2025. The committee included City Council Member Tony Daddario, Parks & Recreation Commissioner Tom Munoz, Community Services staff, and representatives from the Everyone Plays Youth Sports Leagues. Discussion topics included increasing athletic field rates and determining field maintenance standards and responsibilities.
During the Ad-Hoc meetings, staff representatives provided a breakdown of the rising cost of field maintenance and operations and demonstrated the need for increased cost recovery. The leagues expressed how they do not identify as an individualized service and demonstrated why they more closely align with common-good services. This was done by assessing the various benefits the leagues provide, which are listed below.
COMMON GOOD BENEFITS INDIVIDUALIZED BENEFITS
Builds a strong community Builds skills
Brings families together Builds confidence
Improves physical and mental health
Helps underserved youth
Builds volunteerism
Following this assessment, the committee decided to evaluate what rates would look like in the 20-30% cost recovery range and the impact these rates would have on the league’s registration costs. Rates were assessed at various amounts ranging from $7.00/hr. to $11.00/hr. The leagues also assessed what their registration costs would look like under these rate scenarios (below). Based on this assessment, the Ad-Hoc Committee agreed to recommend increasing rates to $7/hr. beginning July 1, 2025 (17% cost recovery), and $10/hr. July 1, 2026 (25% cost recovery). This recommendation was based on the understanding that costs will continue to rise, and future rate increases will likely be needed to keep cost recovery within the 20-30% range.
League Program Current
($4/$5
hr.)
$6 hr. Proposed
$7 hr.
$8
hr.
$9 hr. Proposed
$10 hr.
$11
hr.
AYSO Fall $175 $200 $210 $220 $230 $240 $250
Spring $145 $175 $185 $190 $195 $200 $205
CALL
CNLL Jr. / Sr. $250 $271 $282 $293 $303 $313 $323
Majors $200 $221 $252 $243 $253 $263 $273
Dbl. A -
Triple
$225 $246 $257 $268 $278 $288 $298
T-Ball $175 $196 $207 $218 $228 $238 $248
CGSA 8U+ $235 $299 $310 $320 $331 $342 $352
6U+, T-Ball $185 $249 $260 $270 $281 $292 $302
Chargers Cheer $135 $139 $143 $146 $150 $153 $157
Flag $155 $159 $163 $166 $170 $173 $177
Tackle $395 $399 $403 $406 $410 $413 $417
Pony High $250 $260 $265 $270 $275 $280 $285
Low $175 $185 $190 $195 $200 $205 $210
The leagues also agreed to take on additional maintenance responsibilities, such as dragging and watering the ballfields, applying ballfield conditioner, repairing divots on the turf, and cleaning up trash and debris from the fields, restrooms, and snack bars. The division of these responsibilities is outlined in a field maintenance checklist, which was distributed to leagues and identifies the frequency of each task. In addition, the City and leagues agreed to conduct pre-and post-season walkthroughs to identify any maintenance needs and who is responsible for fixing them. Lastly, the City and leagues agreed to meet bi-annually on an ongoing basis to keep communication open on maintenance issues and future rate changes.
COMMISSION ACTION:
On April 8, 2025, the Parks and Recreation Commission received a report on the Ad-Hoc Committee’s recommendations for athletic field rates for the Everyone Plays Youth Sports Groups. Following the report, a motion was made by Commissioner Olsen and seconded by Commissioner Munoz to recommend that the City Council approve the proposed cost recovery target and field rates for Everyone Plays Youth Sports Groups for FY 2026 and FY 2027. The motion passed 4-0, with Chair Bass abstaining.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
The estimated financial impact of increasing athletic field reservation rates to $7.00/hr. in FY 2026 is expected to generate approximately $85,000 in additional revenue. Increasing the rates to $10/hr. in FY 2027 is anticipated to generate another $130,000 in additional revenue, for a total estimated revenue increase of $215,000 over FY 2024 rates.
If the recommended actions are approved, the Community Services Department will return to Council with a Resolution to amend the Citywide Master Fee Schedule and to request authorization to increase estimated revenues as a result of the athletic field reservation rate increases.
ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS:
This action is exempt pursuant to Section 15061(b)(3) of the Guidelines for the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), which states that a project is exempt from CEQA if the activity is covered by the commonsense exemption that CEQA applies only to projects that have the potential for causing a significant effect on the environment. Where it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the activity in question may have a significant effect on the environment, the activity is not subject to CEQA. This action seeks approval for increasing athletic field reservation rates. Therefore, no environmental analysis is required.
PREPARED BY: DONNA FINCH, COMMUNITY SERVICES DIRECTOR
REVIEWED BY: JUSTIN TUCKER, ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Exhibit 1 – Presentation