Tampa parks proposes higher fees for after school program, rentals

Parents whose children attend Tampa Parks and Recreation after-school programs should brace for sticker shock.

The cost soon may rise from $12 a year to $25 a week.

Low-income families could get a discount under a sliding scale system that's being developed.

"That's still cheaper than what anyone else is charging," said department spokeswoman Linda Carlo. "We're talking about an average of less than $1.25 per hour for child care."

The dramatic increase is part of a department proposal to raise fees for many of its services, including facility rentals, permits, and day passes for pools, tennis courts and gymnasiums.

City officials say the existing fees for department programs are under market price and barely cover the cost of providing recreational activities for thousands of city residents.

The department has been contemplating the fee increases since last year, when council members gave a nod to raising them to offset cuts prompted by property tax reform.

Among the increases scheduled for a vote by the city council Thursday:

• Increase pool rentals to $50 to $100 an hour, up from $25 to $50 an hour

• Increase tennis court full-day passes from $50 to $75

• Increase swimming lessons from $15 to $30 per session

• Charge a new $50 special event application processing fee

• Increase the cost for a plot in a city cemetery from $500 to $1,155

Renting function rooms at most of the city's 28 community centers would also cost more.

For example, renting the multipurpose room at Barksdale Senior Center would cost $200 an hour, rather than $100 an hour. Renting a room at the George Bartholomew Center would cost $50 an hour, up from $20.

While most of the prices for programs and services would increase, some fees would go down slightly, including some cleanup and damage deposits.

Nonprofit groups would pay only 75 percent of the fee for renting a picnic shelter.

In the past year, several city departments have increased charges for services from building permits to emergency response, tree trimming permits and sewer rates.

City officials argued that the fees haven't been increased for years - decades in some cases - and should keep up with the growing cost of providing municipal services.

Tampa's parks department is one of the largest in city government. Two years ago, as a result of property tax reform, dozens of department employees were laid off and pool hours were scaled back to cut costs.

Some council members are concerned that low-income residents will be priced out.

"There's a lot of people out there who are suffering because of the recession," Council chair Tom Scott said. "We don't want to turn them away because they can't afford it."