Needham’s Park and Recreation Department proposed charging field users by the hour, in addition to existing per‑person fees, to address repeated unpermitted use and the workloads it places on park staff.

Stacy, director of the Park and Recreation Department, told the commission the department “doesn’t have the capacity” to monitor live field occupancy and proposed a phased approach: a nominal pilot fee in the fall followed by a fuller hourly schedule beginning in January. She said the town’s on‑paper permits often list fields as permanently reserved from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., but actual nighttime or weekend use is uneven and enforcement falls to park rangers.

“My suggestion is to ... start charging per hour sooner,” Stacy said, citing repeated incidents in which park rangers had to ask groups without current permits to leave. Commissioners and staff debated how to keep the new system equitable for small groups while not letting large clubs avoid paying their share. One concern: if a permit holder cancels, paperwork still lists them as the liable party unless groups notify staff in writing; the department lacks automated occupancy tracking and would rely on written change requests for billing adjustments.

Commissioners discussed multiple pricing approaches — per person, per hour, and tiered fees by sport and field type (turf vs. grass). They also urged outreach to user groups to explain how fee revenue would be used (maintenance, lighting, staffing) and are asking staff to produce sample budget scenarios (for example, what $10 per hour would generate for typical user groups).

Staff said a field‑summit meeting is scheduled for Jan. 26 to refine policy options; they will circulate sample spreadsheets and return with pilot numbers and the implications for scheduling, enforcement and equity. No formal fee change was adopted at the Nov. 10 meeting.

What happens next: staff will run model scenarios and circulate them to commissioners, schedule outreach to user groups, and discuss a pilot or phased implementation at a future meeting.