COSTA MESA / NEWPORT BEACH : School Board to Act on Fee Hike for School Property Use

Groups using school properties for athletic and other events will pay more starting in July if the school board approves proposed fee increases tonight.

The Newport-Mesa Unified School District has not raised rental fees since 1991, said Carolyn Stocker, executive director of business services.

She compared fees to those charged by districts in Garden Grove, Huntington Beach and Irvine and found that Newport-Mesa was lower in eight categories. Those are the areas in which fees will increase.

If approved, fees for use of athletic fields will increase from $15 for the three-hour minimum to $21 for unlighted fields and from $30 to $36 for lighted fields. Fees will increase from $5 to $7 for each additional hour on an unlighted field and from $10 to $12 on a lighted field.

Use of gyms at small or intermediate schools will go from $255 to $300 for the first three hours and from $85 to $100 for each additional hour. Use of a small theater or forum will go from $110 to $120 for three hours and from $35 to $40 for extra hours, while multipurpose room fees will increase from $75 to $120 without a kitchen and $135 to $180 with kitchens.

Tennis court fees will nearly double, from $7 and $11.50 to $12 and $18, depending on whether the court is lighted.

The hikes were among the recommendations of a citizen advisory committee exploring ways to increase the district’s income following losses in the county investment pool. The district had $80 million invested in the pool when it collapsed and may face a $9.5-million shortfall in an $86.8-million budget.

The board previously has approved a $3-million package of budget cuts to combine with surplus property sales, fund transfers and fee increases to fill the rest of the budget breach.