The City of Kirkland is in the process of changing the way local ballfields are rented out, and the transition has caused a bit of a collision at home plate as the implications sink in with organizations like Little League, Lake Washington Youth Soccer Association and others.
The proposal would automate the rental process and digitize the entire system, moving away from a single staff person with a spreadsheet. The proposal would also simplify the rate structure, which currently includes more than 30 rate options depending on the type of use, quality of the field, what entity owns the field and whether the user is a resident or non-resident of Kirkland.
The proposed structure moves from a flat rate with a two-hour minimum and three-hour maximum to a standard hourly rate.
Parks Director Lynn Zwaggstra said maximizing the usage of city facilities was among the goals for the proposal, as one hope is that an hourly rate would encourage groups to better utilize rented space.
The new system would dramatically improve customer service, as users could check field schedules, and cancel or update rentals online.
The new structure has youth and adult rates in three categories, depending on the type of field, and also offers resident and non-resident rates.
But with the hourly charge and a new field-prep fee, the cost of using city facilities would skyrocket for some nonprofit organizations. The city worked to mitigate quickly-rising costs by offering a significant discount for certain longtime user groups for the next biennium, which was among the more contentious issues during the Nov. 15 Kirkland City Council meeting.
Some discounts, including the numbers for Kirkland American Little League and the Kirkland Boys and Girls Club, were as high as 80 percent for 2017-2018. Others were as low as 30 percent.
Councilman Toby Nixon said he wasn’t comfortable with what he called “arbitrary” discounts.
“It’s for the transition period to keep rates down so there’s not a huge shock, but it’s not a good long term decision,” Nixon said.
Several members of the public spoke out against the proposed rate changes, including the president of Kirkland National Little League, Jonathan Friebert.
Between Kirkland National and Kirkland American, Little League represents more than 1,000 local players each spring. The rising costs would be passed on to players and their families, Friebert said, many of which are already struggling to pay for high-priced teams.
Friebert suggested the 2017-18 discounts be made permanent to honor the longstanding relationship between nonprofit organizations and the city.
Once the 2017-18 biennium is up, the city can reexamine the successes or failures of the new fee schedule and make any necessary changes.
