New recreation fees in Tampa pricing out some residents

The city's decision to increase fees for parks and recreation programs is driving away low-income families and children from after-school and other city-run programs.

That was the message from a group of neighborhood leaders, independent contractors and city residents who showed up at today's city council to complain about the new service fees being charged by the city's parks and recreation department.

"We must renegotiate this fee structure or we will have no more children in the city's parks," said Diane Hart, CEO of the East Tampa Business and Civic Association.

Hart said before the fees increased, the after-school program at the Jackson Heights Center had 130 students. That number has since dropped to 43.

"Parents are telling us they can't afford the increased cost," she told council members.

Last July, the council approved a request from Mayor Pam Iorio to raise fees for a host of recreational services - including annual memberships, permits, and day passes for pools, tennis courts and gymnasiums - to plug shortfalls in the city's operating budget.

Tampa officials said the previous fees for programs were well below market price and barely covered the cost of providing recreational activities for thousands of residents.

Among the new rates, the cost of after-school programs went from $12 a year to $25 a week; while the summer camp programs went from $70 for 10 weeks to $55 a week.

Karen Palus, the city's parks and recreation director, pointed out that some low-income families are eligible for a discount under a sliding scale system that takes income into account, and that the city has made scholarships made available for those who qualify.

Palus didn't provide enrollment or revenue estimates, but acknowledged that there had been a drop in the number of participants, particularly in the after-school programs.

"We have seen a reduction," she told council members. "We anticipated that."

Council members also heard from independent contractors who teach tennis, art and fitness programs in city-owned facilities. Many are struggling under the new fees and revisions to new contracts with the city that have driven up their operating costs.

"They [the city] keep making us jump through all these hoops," Tim Gibbons, who teaches art classes at the Hyde Park Recreation Center.

The council is expected to revisit the issue at a March 4 workshop at city hall.