DATE: 02/18/2026
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
FROM: Community Services Department
2026-69
REQUEST FOR CITY COUNCIL ACTION
SUBJECT:
COUNCIL MEMBER SPEAKE’S REQUEST TO PROVIDE CITY FACILITIES TO
GOVERNMENT AGENCIES FREE OF CHARGE
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
This staff report asks the City Council to provide direction on Council Member Speake's request to provide City facilities to other government agencies at no cost. The current facility fees for other government agencies are established in the City’s Master Fee Recovery Schedule and are intended to recover costs for staff time, facility maintenance, and operational oversight of the facilities.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
That the City Council provide direction on Council Member Wes Speake’s request to provide City facilities to government agencies free of charge.
BACKGROUND & HISTORY:
The City of Corona operates under a comprehensive fee structure governed by the Master Fee Recovery Schedule, which is reviewed biennially to ensure compliance with state law and to reflect the true cost of providing services. The Parks and Recreation Master Plan (PRMP) aims to recover 120% of city costs on facility reservations.
The City has traditionally charged rental rates to other government agencies for use of our community facilities, such as the Circle City Center, Library, and Parks. On June 4, 2025, the City Council adopted Resolution No. 2025-040, which added a new rental fee for the City Council Chambers and City Hall Multi-Purpose Room for government agency use only. These fees were implemented due to increasing requests for use of these facilities by government agencies, and to ensure that government agencies contribute appropriately to the costs incurred by the City for staff support, facility maintenance, utilities, and oversight.
On November 5, 2025, Council Member Speake requested a future agenda item to discuss if City facilities should be free for other government agencies when the use has a nexus to the City of Corona.
ANALYSIS:
Fees charged for city facility rentals are calculated based on several cost factors, including staffing costs, maintenance, operations, and administration. The City uses a comprehensive cost allocation methodology that considers comparable rates in surrounding cities, evaluates actual service costs, and aligns with cost recovery goals to determine the full cost of providing facility services. For facility and park rentals, the City has established the following user group categories with varying subsidy levels based on community benefit considerations:
Group I: Co-Sponsored groups, City of Corona & Other Government Use Group II: Everyone Plays Youth Sports Non-Profit Organizations Group III: Resident Non-Profit Groups
Group IV: Resident Private Groups/For Profit Groups
Group V: Non-Resident
Group I has the highest subsidy levels and the lowest fees, with fees progressively increasing for each group. Government agencies, including the City of Corona, fall into the Group I classification, which requires nominal fees for use of facilities that help offset the City's costs for providing facility access, staffing, and maintenance services. These fees, in combination with the fees collected from other user groups, all play an important role in helping the City achieve its cost recovery goals.
In FY 2025, the City collected a total of $36,172 in facility rental revenue from government agencies. If rental fees for government agencies are waived, the fees for other user groups would have to be increased to maintain the City’s cost recovery goals. Otherwise, a higher subsidy will be needed from other revenue sources, such as the General Fund, to help fund facility costs.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
There is no additional financial impact by maintaining the existing fee structure. However, waiving government agency facility fees would reduce the City’s cost recovery percentage, increasing the burden on the General Fund.
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 staff report is intended to provide a response to Council Member Wes Speake's request regarding providing the use of City facilities to other government agencies free of charge and there is no possibility that approving this agreement 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
ATTACHMENT:
1. Exhibit 1 – Presentation