Recommend Proposed 2019 Facility Use Policy and Rental Rates

Every year staff reviews the City’s rates and fees schedule, as well as the Facility Use Policy, and recommends adjustments accordingly. 

The following are two examples that illustrate the need to update the fees or policy:

The city has been experiencing a high demand for facility reservations from groups that claim a non-profit status (501c3).  Many of these requests are coming from organizations that are located outside of City limits, that are taking advantage of the intent of the non-profit status, and in doing so, reducing the facility's availability to Ramsey residents. (Minnesota has 35,361 records of 501c3 groups, which illustrates the potential of not limiting non-resident, non-profit users.) 

Another issue necessitating an update is the five dollar minimum maintenance fee.  Maintenance staff are also witnessing that the $5 minimum maintenance fee charged to non-profits for the free use of facilities is covering neither the time or actual cost for the removal of the garbage/cleanup.  With the growing popularity of all of the City facilities, staff is proposing to clarify the policy for eligible users—non-profit organizations as well as  local youth groups and registered Ramsey 501c3 groups (those non-profits that provide significant service to and for the City in the current year), and to increase the maintenance fee from $5 to $10.
 

Overview of Changes to Fee Schedule for City Hall Facilities:
 
~ Eliminate the For-Profit column for Ramsey Business and Non-Ramsey business and categorize this group in with the General Public resident/non-resident status. This would result in a lower fee for a Ramsey Business for City Hall facilities.  Please note the general public resident fee is increased $20 but the general public non-resident fee is decreased in order to keep an appropriate fee gap relationship between the two.
 
~ Instead of charging two separate fees for the Alexander Ramsey Room and Lake Itasca Room (similar sized rooms) staff is proposing to charge the same fee rate for both rooms since they are comparable in amenities (AV, kitchenette). 
 
~ The Additional Fees category for after-hours/weekend hourly rate increased from $61 to $65.
 
~ The Business Networking Fee rate increased by $5.
 
~ The Homeowners Association Group will be in its own category instead of General Public and will stay at the current 2018 fee rate so it does not impose an increase for this group with the exception of Lake Itasca room, with a $20 increase due to the Alexander Ramsey room and Lake Itasca room changing to same fee rate.
 
Overview of Changes to Park Facility Fee Schedule:
 
~ The fee schedule for the General Public is set at any hourly rental rate based on the general public requesting varying blocks of rental time. The fee may have changed slightly from the 2018 rate because it was broken down to the hourly rate and rounded up or down to the nearest dollar.   
 
~ The Youth/Non Profit will increase from $5 to $10, (representing the proposed minimum maintenance fee increase, discussed above).

 ~ The Business Networking would stay at the same rate with the exception of Elmcrest Park building (Meeting room, Concessions, Pavilion) increasing from $20 to $30.

 ~ The Homeowners Association rates will be offered as the resident rate.
 

There is no funding required per se, in some cases facility revenue is increased slightly, and in other instances, user fees may be less.

Staff recommends ammending the Facility Use Policy and the rental rates structure as indicated within the attachments and discussed.

Based upon discussion, motion to recommend to City Council amending the Facility Use Policy and the rental rates structure as indicated within the attachments, effective January 1st 2019.