Officials here say services are cheaper than around the entire
state
Morgan Hill – This summer the great outdoors could get a little more expensive for Santa Clara County residents visiting 45,000 acres of parks.
The county’s Parks and Recreation Department, which controls 28 parks on a $30 million budget, is recommending fee increases for thousands of visitors who drive cars, go camping, lead youth scouting events, organize group picnics and rent rifle and pistol ranges – to name a few activities the for which the county charges fees.
The recommendations include raising the vehicle entrance fee from $5 to $6, increasing tent-camping fees from $18 to $20 and jumping youth group day camp fees from $20 to $50. The county allows cars and camping at 11 parks. Trail access on foot is free of charge.
While picnicking fees may also rise, daily water-craft entry fees at Anderson, Calero and Coyote lakes would stay the same at $6 for power boats and $5 for non-power boats.
The proposed user-fee increases follow an October 2006 survey of park systems around the state. The county’s parks department looks at fees annually and adjusts them accordingly. The additional revenue is meant to offset rising maintenance costs and establish a fee structure on par with other parks systems.
“We were way out of alignment with other agencies” in terms of fee structure, said Tamara Clark-Sheer, spokesperson for parks department. ” The costs increase every year to maintain a parks system, just like your home or your car, and we have to deal with that.”
Fees bring in about $3 million a year to the county parks system, accounting for about a 10 percent cost recovery. The proposed increase would yield an additional $280,000.
Supervisor Don Gage, chair of the board’s Housing, Land Use, Environment and Transportation Committee, which approved the recommendation Jan. 18, said he supports the increased user fees but understands the need to keep parks accessible to all residents.
“We’ve got 45,000 acres of parks … we know it takes a lot of maintaining,” Gage said. “But it’s a double-edged sword … I don’t want to price people out of using our parks. People who use them may not be affluent.”
The Santa Clara Board of Supervisors could approve the parks fee adjustments at their Feb. 6 meeting. If that happens they would take effect May 1.
Rising salaries and maintenance fees require additional revenue, Clark-Sheer said, for things including tree trimming, garbage disposal and a multitude of services contracted out. Fee increases, she said, would help avoid service cuts.
County policy requires the parks department to compare its user fees to regional, state and city services each year to stay on part with average costs.
A voter-approved set-aside of property tax dollars funds the county’s parks and recreation services.
There are about 200 full and part-time employees in the county parks system, including directors, analysts, safety officers, maintenance managers, customer service personnel.
Tony Burchyns covers Morgan Hill for The Times and county issues for the Dispatch. Reach him at (408) 779-4106 ext. 201 or
tb*******@*************es.com.
