YORBA LINDA : City Studying Costs of Free Use of Center

After urging city officials to broaden a policy granting free use of the Yorba Linda Community Center to nonprofit groups, the City Council is now reconsidering whether the policy might end up costing the city too much in lost revenue.

Under the current policy, community nonprofit organizations are granted 12 free uses of a meeting room and two free uses of an assembly room each year. The groups also get reduced rental rates on additional uses.

After hearing repeated complaints from some organizations excluded from the list of groups eligible for free uses, the council in July asked the Parks and Recreation Commission to broaden the policy to accommodate a greater number of organizations.

But this week, the council appeared to retreat from that position, with several council members reluctant to approve a policy that would allow social clubs and hobby groups free uses of the building. “How much (revenue are we losing) to subsidize these groups?” asked Councilman Henry W. Wedaa. “I might be willing, if we knew the financial impact, to vote yes. To vote yes before we know that is stupid.”

The council voted 4 to 1 to approve the policy, which goes into effect in January. But the council asked city officials for a report on the potential loss of revenue.

“How many free uses are we talking about?” asked Councilman John M. Gullixson. “We have to be making it up somewhere.”