Public Hearing to Consider Adoption of Resolution Amending Master Fee Resolution 12191 to Add and Revise Recreation and Park Fees. (Recreation 5191)
in nearby cities and also keeping in consideration the balance between. The Budget and the affordability to families. I also want to point out that we do all that. I also examined all the other programs within Alameda as well so that we can say comparable and affordable and make sure that we're all filling the niches that we need to fill. So some of the challenges that we face in this upcoming year are in January 1st, 2016, the California state minimum wage will increase from $9 to $10. That is going to be a big challenge, obviously, for staff. It's a welcome challenge. Obviously, we want to pay our staff accordingly. In fact, I'd pay them a lot more if I could, but the it'll be great to have that increase for staff. Also, some of the other challenges we have are field maintenance with the ongoing rising cost of water and and the drought condition for the last four years, costs for field maintenance has gone up and will continue to rise. And unfortunately, we'll have to make considerations for that. We've as you seen in the reports, we did a re fee comparison with San Leandro, Pleasanton in Union City and San Ramon. And as always, we like I mentioned earlier, we maintain a balance between demand and cost recovery. As you see on the chart. To summarize it, the youth program fees are being asked to be increased between three and 5%, and that's directly to reflect the offset of the minimum wage increase was going in effect. We have asked for increases in the last two years, but I just want to point out that for year, for the four years prior to that, there were no increases. So we anticipated these increase coming and we waited as long as we could. And so now we're trying to catch up to it. Also, I want to point out the athletic field use fee went up from $3 to $5 for nonresident. That will help offset some of the field maintenance costs for maintenance. And I also want to point out within that that staff did recommend that the athletic field use for residents to be raised to from $2 to $4. But the recurrent Park Commission did not expect did not want that increase. And so we took their recommendation and we brought forward the $2, the current $2. So the resident rate will not change in this current fee structure. Lastly, the major increase is for the multi-use synthetic field or estuary park that's going to be going online and it'll be a brand new facility that will hopefully be ready to go in the fall of 20 at the end of 2016. And as typical, we have to put that in our fee structure. Synthetic turf fields generally cost more and are used more for game facilities and used more regularly than natural turf fields. They don't have the downtime as some natural turf fields. And one of the other things that we decided or the thing is that I want to point out that the Challenger field, which is also going to be part of the estuary park, will not be affected by the the turf field. The multi-purpose field they will be considered under are nonprofit user fee fees. Also, they will remain at the $2 rate as well. So I just wanted to point that out that we're we're looking forward to having the Challenger field out there. So we want to encourage that as much as possible. And can you go into a little bit of detail about the significance of the Challenger field for people that don't know? Sure. The Challenger field is going to be a field that is a multipurpose field, synthetic turf, that will be designed strictly for people with handicaps and will be able to play sports, whether that's soccer or baseball, on a field that is very applicable for their use. We have a challenger league in Alameda already. That's through the Army Little League, and they are really looking forward to the new field. I know they play games currently in Alameda, but they also go to games elsewhere and it'd be nice to have a premier field that's dedicated. And Alameda can be one of the few that has a dedicated field in the in the region. So I think it'll be also a draw for all the other Challenger leagues in around Alameda or around the region. Let's see. I think that one. I also wanted to point out on the athletic field use that currently it costs about this is not including staff time about $110,000 annually to cover the fields. In Alameda, we currently have 18 baseball and softball fields and 20 multi-use fields with currently the user. That we have collected throughout the years, about 40,000 of that 110. So. And the general fund basically absorbs the remaining 70,000 in staff. And then that's not including staff time, which is about 97,000 a year in staff time. So therefore, field maintenance costs are relatively are over $200,000 a year. And again, it's something that we are constantly looking at and trying to help benefit all the citizens of Alameda. Lastly, I just want to talk a little bit about the process behind setting fees. I know no one really wants to see fees increase, but there is a process behind this firm from an LAPD philosophy. You know, the bottom line is that the programs that benefit one group or individuals have to pay more of a premium price for the opportunity to participate in recreation programs. That can be for private lessons, facility rentals, picnic rentals, adult softball teams. They are paying much more of a premium rate than what we charge other programs. The second layer, the second tier is designed for larger groups or multiple groups that have to pay the opportunity to pay. Participant But to cover some of the costs. Again, that's our day camp programs, our afterschool programs. There's obviously costs involved in all of those. And we want to make sure that we cover at least a good percentage of those cost. And then we have what we all hold near and dear is those high community benefit programs that are free and low cost programs. And I know in the past the council has been very supportive. I want to point out the Parks and Playgrounds program that is continually going on. And I think it's one of the most unique things about our that we continue to support free recreation, that we have parks and playgrounds, programs that are supported by the general fund and the council that anyone can participate in. And so that is just a great benefit for Alameda. I also want to point out that the the free T-shirt summer recreational baseball program that we offer, as well as part of the Parks and Playgrounds program, which we have over, you know, 250 to 300 kids every year that play basically for free and get the benefit of recreation in Alameda for free. So we do try to balance all of those things out when we come and ask for the user fees each year. But I just want you to know that the that's the mindset behind the philosophy, behind what we're coming out. We're not just coming up with numbers. I want to thank the city council and the and the importance it places on recreation and parks in Alameda. Because I know you guys are all very supportive of it. And if you have any questions, I'm your dad. Uh. So I want to commend you for your presentation. And I also want to take note that you're wearing a green shirt to support our parts of war. It's always good to see you, Amir Ashraf. I just wanted to also thank you, Mr. City, for that nice presentation. And I was just saying to Ms. Wooldridge that it kind of takes my breath away when I see what it cost to maintain our parks. And she whispered back. And that's not even staff time. So it's true. But we you know, it's something that we're very fortunate to be able to offer in Alameda is we have great park facilities, we're adding more. And this is one of the draws that bring people to our city, that we're family friendly, where we've got lots of great recreational opportunities that serve our population from the youngest to the oldest and everything in between. And so, as you said, while we never like to see fees go up, we have to be realistic about wanting to keep our facilities in good condition. And I appreciate the comparison studies you did with comparably sized cities in the in the East Bay around as well and I guess a little bit through that tunnel. But anyway, I'm I'm prepared to support this. I can't wait until we see our newest parks come online and keep up the good work. Thanks. And with that, I would move. Approval of the resolution amending the master fee resolution 1 to 1 and one to add and revise recreation and park fees. Of our second. I'm. All those in favor. I thank you. That motion passed unanimously. Thank you very much.