[ad_1]
The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors will consider raising fees for camping and event rentals during its Tuesday meeting, with the Community Services Department proposing increases to 54 parks-related fees.
Increasing the fees would help offset operational costs and make charges more consistent with competing facilities, according to county staff.
The county’s parks fees were last updated in December 2019.
If the supervisors approve the fee adjustments, they will take effect for reservations made on or after Jan. 4, 2023, and would generate an additional $700,000 in total revenue each year — including approximately $650,000 from camping fees.
The county is not planning to increase the group area/day use reservation or site fees at county parks since they are mostly used by county residents for gatherings such as birthdays, graduations and retirement parties.
The sports field use policy will be updated to give preference to local sports teams — organizations comprised of at least 70% county residents.
With the new policy, fees for sports fields at Waller Park and Orcutt Community Park would be “tiered,” ranging from $15 to $50 per hour depending on the type of usage.
Additionally, staff is recommending that daily field use also be tiered from $150 to $1,000 per day, and a “Sports Field Daily-Tournament Usage” fee of at least $1,000 per day would also be added, along with a “Sports Field Security Deposit” fee of up to $1,500.
Several camping fees would be increased, including reservation fees for campsites — which would increase from $8 to $10 per reservation.
Cachuma Lake group camping fees would increase by 5%, while Jalama Beach Abalone Point group area camping fees would increase from $280 to $300 per night, and Starfish Cove group area camping fees would increase from $250 to $275 per night.
Dry camping and R/V hookup fees, which were last modified in 2015, would increase by $5 per night, and annual boat passes would increase by $10 for county residents and $15 for non-residents — to $110 and $140, respectively.
The rate to rent the Mural Room at the Santa Barbara County Courthouse for a wedding would be increased from $400 to $500 under a proposal to be considered Tuesday by the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors. (Serena Guentz / Noozhawk photo)
Cachuma’s cabin fee would increase from $175 to $200 per night for holidays and weekends, and from $150 to $175 per night for week nights, while Jalama Beach cabin rates would be increased by $10 per night, to $250 per night for holidays and weekends and $200 per week night.
No changes would be made to the Jalama Affordable Cabin and Cachuma Lake Yurt fees, and Cachuma’s “off season” rate for cabins would be eliminated so the rates are the same all year.
The county is also proposing to eliminate the pet fee and pet annual vehicle pass for Cachuma Lake and Jalama Beach parks, as well as the pet fee per night for Jalama Beach cabins.
Staff is also proposing that the daily trailer storage and annual trailer storage rate be eliminated, offering only a monthly trailer storage rate of $90 per month.
For special events and facility rentals, county staff is proposing that wedding reservation fees for the Courthouse’s Mural Room be increased from $400 to $500, and Courthouse Sunken Garden weddings would be increased from $900 to $1,000.
The rental fee for the Lompoc Veteran’s Building Auditorium would increase from $400 to $600, while the Banquet Room would increase from $200 to $300.
Staff is also recommending that the Junior Lifeguard session fee be decreased from $315 to $250 and from $275 to $225 for the sibling rate, since the sessions have been shortened by a week.
All county parks fee adjustments, as well as information on the changes, can be found in the fee schedule and board letter on the Board of Supervisors meeting page.
The Board of Supervisors will be considering these changes during its meeting on Tuesday, which begins at 9 a.m. in the County Administration Building board hearing room, 105 E. Anapamu St. in Santa Barbara.
— Noozhawk staff writer Serena Guentz can be reached at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
[ad_2]
Source link
