DATE: 06/04/2025
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
FROM: Community Services Department
2025-231
REQUEST FOR CITY COUNCIL ACTION
SUBJECT:
RESOLUTION REVISING THE CITYWIDE MASTER FEE RECOVERY SCHEDULE TO
AMEND THE SPORTS FIELDS HOURLY RATES AND ESTABLISH RENTAL RATES
FOR COUNCIL CHAMBERS AND MULTI-PURPOSE ROOM FOR GOVERNMENT AGENCY USE; AMENDMENT TO THE PARKS & RECREATION MASTER PLAN EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
This staff report asks the City Council to amend the City of Corona’s Master Fee Recovery Schedule and the Parks & Recreation Master Plan to formalize a rate change to create a new service category for Everyone Plays Youth Sports Groups. As part of the adjustments to the Master Fee Recovery Schedule, staff also recommend establishing rental rates for the City Council Chambers and the Multi-Purpose Room for government agencies.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
That the City Council:
a. Adopt Resolution No. 2025-040 revising the Citywide Master Fee Recovery Schedule to amend the Sports Field hourly rates and establish rental rates for the Council Chambers and Multi-Purpose Room for government agency use. b. Approve an amendment to the Parks & Recreation Master Plan to create a new service category for Everyone Plays Youth Sports Groups. c. Authorize an estimated revenue increase in the amount of $85,000 in the General Fund 110 for FY 2026.
BACKGROUND & HISTORY:
In early 2024, the City conducted a fee study of all citywide fees and charges. During this study, Community Services staff evaluated fees for programs and services and proposed fee adjustments to help move toward the cost recovery goals identified in the Parks and Recreation Master Plan (PRMP). The PRMP recommends higher subsidies with lower cost recovery for services found to have a “common good” benefit, and lower subsidies with higher cost recovery for services found to have an “individualized benefit.” The most significant proposed fee adjustment was to increase the Recreation Non-Profit rate for sports fields from $10.00/hr. to $20.00/hr. This rate was proposed to help achieve the cost recovery targets for youth sports, which are categorized as Skill-Based Activities and have a recommended cost recovery rate of 70-90%. At the time the fee study was conducted, youth sports were only recovering 12% of their costs.
After the rate adjustments were approved, staff identified several youth sports leagues were paying outdated rates of $4.00/hr. for ballfields and $5.00/hr. for general use fields.
These rates had previously been reserved for organizations affiliated with the Youth Sports Advisory Council (YSAC), which was disbanded in 2019. However, the reassignment of these groups to the appropriate rate categories did not occur at that time.
As a result, the recent rate increase was more substantial than originally anticipated for those groups.
Following the implementation of the increase rates, the City received significant feedback from the youth sports community regarding the proposed $20.00/hour rate. Concerns were raised that the increase was substantial and introduced too quickly, potentially creating financial barriers for families. Stakeholders also suggested that the cost recovery target of 70–90% was too high and recommended a more gradual, phased-in approach to rate adjustments.
On October 16, 2024, the City Council directed staff to do the following:
1. Pause the rate increase for sports 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 and 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 was 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 members, and representatives from the Everyone Plays Youth Sports Leagues.
Discussion topics included increasing sports field rates and determining field maintenance standards and responsibilities.
During the Ad-Hoc meetings, staff provided a breakdown of the rising costs associated with field maintenance and operations, highlighting the need for increased cost recovery Representatives from the leagues expressed that they do not view youth sports as an individualized service, but rather as a common-good service. They supported this position by outlining a range of community benefits associated with youth sports, as detailed 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 Ad-Hoc committee evaluated what rates would look like in the 20-30% cost recovery range and their impact on league registration fees. Rates ranging from $7.00/hr. to $11.00/hr. were analyzed. The leagues also assessed what their registration costs would look like under these rate scenarios. Based on this assessment, the Ad-Hoc Committee recommended a phased rate adjustment: increasing rates to $7.00/hour effective July 1, 2025 (17% cost recovery), and to $10.00/hour effective July 1, 2026 (25% cost recovery). This recommendation was based on the understanding that costs will continue to rise, and future rate increases will incur to keep cost recovery within the targeted range.
The City Council approved the Ad-Hoc Committee’s recommendations on April 16, 2025.
To implement these changes, an amendment to the Citywide Master Fee Recovery Schedule is required to formalize and update the rate adjustments for the Resident Everyone Plays Youth Sports Group II to $7.00/hr. for FY26 and $10.00/hr. for FY 2027.
Additionally, the $20.00/hr. rate for Resident Special Group III, which includes competitive, travel, and elite nonprofit sports leagues, will be established. An amendment to the Parks & Recreation Master Plan is also necessary to create a new service category for Everyone Plays Youth Sports Groups.
As part of the adjustments to the Master Fee Recovery Schedule, staff are also recommending the establishment of rental rates for the City Council Chambers and the Multi-Purpose Room (MPR) for government agency use only. These facilities are frequently requested for use by other government entities, and there is no rental fee established for such usage. Rental use of these facilities will incur wear and tear on the seating and equipment. The proposed rental rates of $142.00/hr. for the Council Chambers and $79.00/hr. for the MPR align with the government/non-profit rates the City currently charges for similar facilities such as the Circle City Center (CCC) Banquet Room and the Community Room at the Library. Rental revenue would help offset maintenance and operations costs ensuring the continued quality and availability of these facilities.
The City Council approved the Ad-Hoc Committee’s recommendations on April 16, 2025.
The proposed amendment to the Citywide Master Fee Recovery Schedule is required to formalize the rate adjustments, and the amendment to the Parks & Recreation Master Plan is required to create a new service category for Everyone Plays Youth Sports Groups.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
Fees shall become effective 30 days after City Council’s approval, or July 4, 2025. The estimated financial impact of increasing sports field reservation rates for the new Group II Everyone Plays from $4.00/hr. for ballfields and $5.00/hr. for general use fields to a uniform rate of $7.00/hr. in FY 2026 is expected to generate approximately $85,000 in additional revenue. Approval of the recommended actions will result in an estimated revenue increase in the amount of $85,000 in the General Fund 110 for FY 2026.
Increasing the rates to $10.00/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.
There is no expected revenue change from adjusting the Group III reservation rates, as there were no groups previously tied to this rate category. The amendment to the fee schedule updates Group III as the new Resident Competitive, Travel, and Elite Nonprofit Youth Sports Group and establishes the $20.00/hr. rate these leagues have already been paying.
The estimated fiscal impact of establishing rental rates for the Council Chambers and MPR is unknown at this time and will depend on the number of reservation requests received from other government agencies.
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 Resolution updates the fees for services provided by the City and there is no possibility that approving this project will have a significant effect on the environment. Therefore, no environmental analysis is required.
PREPARED BY: MIRNA ROMERO, MANAGEMENT ANALYST II
REVIEWED BY: DONNA FINCH, COMMUNITY SERVICES DIRECTOR
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Exhibit 1 – Resolution No. 2025-040 Master Fee Recovery Schedule
2. Exhibit 2 – Community Services Fee Phase I
3. Exhibit 3 – Community Services Fee Phase II
4. Exhibit 4 - Ad Hoc Meeting Minutes- March 24, 2025
5. Exhibit 5 - Parks and Recreation Master Plan Appendix F Amendment