Missouri City parks staff presented proposed increases to facility rental fees and a new special-use permit structure and the Parks & Recreation Advisory Board voted to forward the proposal to City Council with one amendment: recurring contracted organizations will be able to negotiate a fixed cleanup fee or cap.

The changes staff described would raise shelter and pavilion rates, create two special-use permit categories (commercial/public events and private rentals), increase costs for field lights toward a 50% subsidy, formalize cleaning and damage deposits and add a stage rental charge. Staff said they plan to present an implementing ordinance to City Council in November and, if approved, post the new rates and begin public notices with an intended effective date of Jan. 1.

Donnie (Parks and Recreation staff member) summarized the fee proposal, saying the suggested shelter fee increase would move the department “closer to the 100% cost recovery.” He told the board the proposal would set a large pavilion at $50 per hour (equivalent to $100 for a two-hour rental) and generally “about double across the board” compared with current rates.

Staff described two special-use permit tracks. Commercial or public events — defined in staff materials as uses that involve the splash pad, fields, parking lots, food trucks or vendors — would pay an additional $100 for Missouri City residents or city-based commercial entities and $200 for noncity users. Private-event rentals would pay an additional $50 for residents and $100 for nonresidents; both tracks would also pay an hourly cleaning fee. Staff said the aim is to capture the additional staffing, oversight and wear-and-tear that large commercial or public events impose on a park.

The presentation included other fee changes: a $60 damage deposit for all nonresident rentals; an increase in the field-light rate intended to reach roughly a 50% subsidy for electrical costs; and a proposed stage-setup charge that staff listed as $350 for residents (staff noted the nonresident figure shown in the transcript appears to be a transcription error and should be confirmed in the ordinance materials).

Staff also described operational controls tied to the new permit form. Applicants will be asked whether the event is public or commercial, whether adjacent spaces (additional shelters, bounce houses, porta-potties, food trucks) will be used, and whether a site plan will be supplied; events that check certain boxes will be routed to police, fire and planning for additional review. Staff said enforcement will rely on on-site staff and a double-fee provision in the exhibit: if a renter uses facilities beyond the approved permit, staff may double the fee charged.

Board members asked about advance notice, messaging and competition with neighboring jurisdictions. Donnie said staff plan to bring the ordinance to City Council in November, advertise changes through December, post rates to the city website and notify youth organizations and repeat users before a January 1 effective date. He said staff compared neighboring cities and believe Missouri City’s proposed rates will remain competitive.

Several board members pressed staff on the impact to Regional Sports Associations (RSAs) and other recurring users. Board discussion produced a motion to approve staff recommendations with an amendment requiring that organizations with recurring, contracted use be allowed to negotiate a fixed cleanup fee or cap in their contract so their annual budgeting would be predictable. The motion was seconded by Pam (Board member). After discussion, the board voted to forward the recommendation to council; the meeting record shows a voice/hand vote and the motion carried.

Staff said the prior fee ordinance had an annual CPI adjustment mechanism but that it had not been used; the next ordinance will explicitly allow CPI-based adjustments going forward. Staff also stressed that permit review includes the police department’s guidance on when security is required, and that major, recurring commercial operations not currently covered by RSAs could be considered for a separate recurring-use process in the future.

If City Council adopts the ordinance, staff said they will post changes on the parks and recreation pages, social media and at facility locations and will proactively contact repeat users and youth-sports groups about the new fees and any negotiated contract arrangements.

Votes at a glance: The advisory board voted to forward staff’s fee and permit recommendations to City Council with the amendment that contracted recurring organizations be allowed to negotiate a fixed cleanup fee or cap. The motion was seconded by Pam (Board member); individual roll-call tallies were not recorded in the meeting minutes.