FULLERTON : City Hikes Fees for Renting Facilities

Fees for renting city facilities or taking city-sponsored classes have increased by $1 to $5, but people who use the Leonard Andrews Municipal Tennis Center will not be charged more.

The City Council last week unanimously approved increasing fees in an effort to make the facilities and programs more “cost-efficient.”

Residents who sign up for dance, athletic or other classes here now must pay $5 instead of $4 per person per session, while people who do not live in Fullerton pay $6, up from $5. Rental rates for city buildings, theaters, athletic grounds and other facilities were raised to $15 per hour--a $5 increase.

City officials also had proposed to raise the rental rates for the Tennis Center, but the council decided against it after residents complained.

Jane Wright, president of Fullerton Patrons of Tennis, an organization that built the Tennis Center in 1976 and has continually paid for improvements and maintenance, said the proposed tennis center fee increase was unfair.

Other residents questioned why the fee increases were necessary and demanded to know if the city could afford to operate its programs and facilities without the increases.

City officials said they are preparing next year’s budget and will know in the next three months whether the new fees will remain. When budget discussions begin, the fee increases will again be addressed, officials said.