YORBA LINDA : Community Center Fee Changes Rejected

The City Council this week rejected changes proposed by the Parks and Recreation Commission in a fee and use policy for the Community Center, saying the rules failed to address concerns of several local organizations.

The council had asked the commission to review the Community Center fee schedule after representatives of local organizations complained about the rates charged for using various rooms.

But the new proposal would not have given hobby groups and neighborhood organizations the same reduced rates that other nonprofit groups enjoy.

The debate centers on the commission’s definition of nonprofit organizations. Local groups with nonprofit standing approved by the state Franchise Tax Board are allowed to use meeting and conference rooms for as many as 14 times a year, for as long as four hours, and are charged only a nominal fee.

Additional uses by nonprofit organizations are billed at a rate of $10 to $70 per hour plus a set-up fee of $10 to $75, depending on the room used.

Organizations without nonprofit standing do not receive free use of the facility. They pay hourly rates of $20 to $100 and set-up fees of $15 to $100.

Steve Rudometkin, director of Parks and Recreation, said requiring groups to have nonprofit standing from the state is the simplest way of determining which groups are truly nonprofit.

But Bill Soukup, a member of Classic Cruisers Car Club, said gaining nonprofit status would cost his group about $800.

Councilman Mark Schwing said an inequity exists when the city lets youth sports organizations use fields at no charge but makes hobby groups pay for the use of facilities.

The council sent the fee policy back to the Parks and Recreation Commission for more revisions and set a public hearing on the fee policy for Sept. 6.