CITY OF PACIFICA
COUNCIL AGENDA SUMMARY REPORT
11/12/2024
1 SUBJECT:
Resolutions to repeal and replace Administrative Policy No. 3 “Regulations For Use of City Council Chambers” with new Policy entitled “Public Use of the Community Center, Civic Center and City Council Chambers” and amend Administrative Policy No. 2 “City Fees and Charges” (Master Fee Schedule) to add fees related to use of Community Center, Civic Center and City Council Chambers.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Move to:
1) Adopt a Resolution to repeal and replace Administrative Policy No. 3 “Regulations For Use of City Council Chambers” with new Policy entitled “Public Use of the Community Center, Civic Center and City Council Chambers” to allow the public use of City-owned indoor facilities in accordance with established procedures and policies to ensure their proper use.
2) Adopt a Resolution to amend Administrative Policy No. 2 “City Fees and Charges” to update and include fees related to use of the Community Center, Civic Center and City Council Chambers.
STAFF CONTACT:
Scott Leslie, Director of Parks, Beaches, and Recreation (650) 738-7387
[email protected]
BACKGROUND/DISCUSSION:
On June 27, 2024, the Pacifica Civic Center was officially opened to the public, and city employees fully occupied the facility by mid-July 2024. As part of the remodel, multiple community conference rooms were added with the intention of making these spaces available for public use. However, the City’s last official policy governing public facility use dates back to September 1981 and exclusively addresses the City Council Chambers. Many of the procedures and regulations within that policy are now outdated and do not address the broader scope of public facility usage envisioned today.
While the Community Center currently has departmental policies for permits and rentals, there is no comprehensive citywide policy governing the use. With the Civic Center's reopening and the availability of City Council Chambers and additional meeting spaces for public use, it became clear that a modernized, citywide policy was necessary.
The Parks, Beaches, and Recreation Department conducted a survey of neighboring cities that offer similar rental or permit options for their community centers and public buildings, including non-recreational facilities like large public halls and conference rooms. This survey aimed to establish both local and regional standards for public facility usage. Although rental offerings varied across cities, many overarching policies shared common themes. Most were structured broadly, allowing staff to manage details within a flexible, overarching framework.
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Proposed Revisions to Administrative Policy No. 3 Relating to Use The proposed revisions to Administrative Policy No. 3, “Public Use of the Community Center, Civic Center and City Council Chambers” (“Policy”) are designed to enhance public access to City facilities for Pacifica residents, local businesses, nonprofits, and service groups. It establishes clear guidelines for use of the Community Center, City Council Chambers, and Civic Center, introduces an updated priority-based system to guide reservations and resolution of reservation conflicts.
Under this proposed Policy, an applicant’s category determines reservation priority. Municipal use is prioritized, followed by local residents and businesses, local nonprofit organizations, and lastly, non-residents and non-local entities. Non-residents and non-local organizations may use facilities if none of the other categories have reserved them within the designated timeline.
Priority Group Breakdown:
• Group 1 - Municipal Use: Includes City Council, Commissions, Committees, City staff business, and City-sponsored classes, programs, public meetings, and community events.
• Group 2 - Pacifica Residents and Businesses: Applies to individuals, businesses, or organizations based in Pacifica (excludes P.O. Box addresses). Businesses must possess a current business license.
• Group 3 - Local Nonprofit Organizations: Pacifica-based nonprofits and organizations serving the Pacifica community with IRS 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status. • Group 4 - Non-Residents and Non-Local Organizations: Includes any individuals, businesses, nonprofits, or organizations based outside Pacifica.
The Policy establishes regulations for alcohol use and smoking in and around City facilities. It also prohibits political campaigning and campaign-related activities within City facilities.
However, the City Manager may approve requests from non-partisan organizations to hold voter information events, such as candidate debates, and may authorize City facilities to be used as official voting locations. While the Policy restricts religious services at the Civic Center and City Council Chambers, these services may continue at the Community Center.
This Policy also aims to balance accessibility, structure, and flexibility in order to meet Pacifica’s community needs effectively. The City Manager, City Attorney, City Clerk, and Parks, Beaches, and Recreation Director are authorized to establish rules and guidelines consistent with this policy. In cases of dispute, the City Manager or their designee holds final authority over user group categorization, event type, and other reservation details.
The Parks, Beaches, and Recreation Department will manage all rentals, including eligibility determination, policy administration, and fee processing but may require additional approval from the City Manager or City Clerk to prevent conflicts with the official City meeting calendar.
Proposed Revisions to Administrative Policy No. 2 Relating to Fees Use fees and deposits for use of the Community Center, City Council Chambers and the Civic Center are proposed in the revisions to the City's Administrative Policy No. 2 “City Fees and Charges” (Master Fee Schedule).
With the Policy update to the use of the Community Center, Civic Center and City Council Chambers, newly established fees have been introduced for the use of those spaces.
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Additionally, Community Center fees require updates to align with the new rental categories set by the Policy. Some Community Center fees have been adjusted to reflect regional standards, including reduced rates for weekday rentals due to a historically low volume of weekday rental applications.
The new use fees for the City Council Chambers and Civic Center Conference Rooms were established by surveying similar municipal spaces in nearby cities, including San Bruno, Millbrae, Daly City, Redwood City, and San Mateo. Although all neighboring cities were reviewed, some did not have spaces directly comparable to those in Pacifica. Parks, Beaches, and Recreation staff made every effort to find comparable public spaces, considering factors like capacity, accessibility, facility age, intended use, amenities, and overall aesthetics, as these features vary widely across municipalities.
Large Rooms & Halls: Weekends
LOCATION /
CITY
RENTAL SPACE CAPACITY RESIDENT RESIDENT
NON PROFIT
NON
RESISIDENT
NON RES
NON-PROFIT
Pacifica Council Chambers Seating capacity
200
$107/hr $81/hr $161/hr $161/hr
Pacifica Community Center
Auditorium
125 Banquet $107/hr $81/hr $161/hr $161/hr
Daly City Gellert Park Clubhouse 120 Banquet $125/hr N/A $150/hr N/A Daly City Lincoln Park
Community Center
200 Banquet $150/hr N/A $175/hr N/A
Daly City Merced Room 140 Banquet $125/hr N/A $150/hr N/A Millbrae Great Hall 300 Banquet $545/hr $355/hr $654/hr $545/hr Redwood City COMMUNITY
ACTIVITIES BUILDING
200 Banquet
100 Meeting
$180/hr $90/hr $230/hr $230/hr
San Bruno Community Hall 200 Banquet $457/hr $366/hr $571/hr $571/hr San Bruno Community Hall (1/2) Seating capacity
90 $228/hr $183/hr $285/hr $285/hr
San Mateo
Main Library
Oak Room Theater: 124
Banquet: 100
$140/hr $205/hr $210/hr $315/hr
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Conference Rooms - Small: Weekdays
LOCATION /
CITY
RENTAL SPACE CAPACITY RESIDENT RESIDENT
NON PROFIT
NON
RESISIDENT
NON RES
NON-PROFIT
Pacifica Civic Center Small
Conference Rooms
Seating capacity
15 $40/hr $25/hr $50/hr $50/hr
Millbrae Conference Room B Seating capacity
20 $63/hr $41/hr $76/hr $63/hr
Redwood City Conference Room
CAB BUILDING
Seating capacity
15 $50/hr $25/hr $70/hr $70/hr
San Bruno Conference Room Seating capacity
12 $49/hr $40/hr $78/hr $78/hr
Conference Rooms - Small: Weekends
LOCATION /
CITY
RENTAL SPACE CAPACITY RESIDENT RESIDENT
NON PROFIT
NON
RESISIDENT
NON RES
NON-PROFIT
Pacifica Civic Center Small
Conference Rooms
Seating capacity
15 $60/hr $40/hr $70/hr $70/hr
Millbrae Conference Room B Seating capacity
20 $112/hr $74/hr $135/hr $112/hr
Redwood City Conference Room
CAB BUILDING
Seating capacity
15 $50/hr $25/hr $70/hr $70/hr
San Bruno Conference Room Seating capacity
12 $62/hr $50/hr $78/hr $78/hr
Conference Rooms - Large: Weekdays
LOCATION /
CITY
RENTAL SPACE CAPACITY RESIDENT RESIDENT
NON PROFIT
NON
RESISIDENT
NON RES
NON-PROFIT
Pacifica Civic Center Large
Conference Rooms
Seating capacity
49 $55/hr $35/hr $65/hr $65/hr
Millbrae Classroom A Seating capacity
38 $112/hr $74/hr $135/hr $112/hr
Redwood City Large Conference
Room
CAB BUILDING
35 Banquet
35 Lecture
$70/hr $35/hr $100/hr $100/hr
San Bruno RAC Small Classroom Seating capacity
24 $98/hr $75/hr $155/hr $155/hr
San Mateo
Main Library
Meeting Room (Cedar) Theater: 24
Banquet: 18
$105/hr $110/hr $140/hr $315/hr
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Conference Rooms - Large: Weekends
LOCATION /
CITY
RENTAL SPACE CAPACITY RESIDENT RESIDENT
NON PROFIT
NON
RESISIDENT
NON RES
NON-PROFIT
Pacifica Civic Center Large
Conference Rooms
Seating capacity
49 $90/hr $70/hr $100/hr $100/hr
Millbrae Classroom A Seating capacity
38 $113/hr $74/hr $136/hr $135/hr
Redwood City Large Conference
Room
CAB BUILDING
35 Banquet
35 Lecture
$70/hr $35/hr $100/hr $100/hr
San Bruno RAC Small Classroom Seating capacity
24 $124/hr $124/hr $155/hr $155/hr
San Mateo
Main Library
Meeting Room (Cedar) Theater: 24
Banquet: 18
$105/hr $110/hr $140/hr $315/hr
The Policy permits reservations of the Civic Center conference rooms with the option to include the adjacent Civic Center Plaza Park as an add-on. The usage fee for the Civic Center Plaza Park is $50 and must accompany an internal facility reservation. All additional fees are reflected in the updated fee schedule.
All of the fees for use of the Community Center, Civic Center and City Council Chambers reflect the reasonable cost of the use of those spaces. The updated and newly established fees are introduced with the proposed Resolution to amend Administrative Policy No. 2 “City Fees and Charges”, as attached in Attachment B.
ALTERNATIVE ACTION:
Council may choose not to adopt the resolutions and provide further direction to staff.
RELATION TO CITY COUNCIL GOALS AND WORK PLAN:
"An Engaged Community” includes creating opportunities to expand public participation, increase communication, and build community post-COVID.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The expanded rental and permit opportunities will generate additional revenue, which will be directed to the City’s general fund. These funds will be utilized to maintain the facilities and support the staffing infrastructure required to oversee and manage facility operations.
ORIGINATED BY:
Parks, Beaches & Recreation Department
ATTACHMENT LIST:
Attachment A: Resolution - Admin Policy No. 3 Public Use Of Community Center, Civic Center, Council Chambers (PDF)
Attachment B: Resolution to Amend Admin Policy No. 2 Master Fee Schedule to Add-Update Facility Use Fees (PDF)