Proposed park use fees draw criticism

The downtown farmers market is more than a place to buy fresh veggies and local crafts. It’s also a social pillar of Whitefish that significantly contributes to the local economy.

That’s the message sent to city councilors at Monday’s meeting following a long line of public comment regarding a proposed increase to park use fees for special events in Depot Park. Exorbitant fees would put Whitefish’s most popular events in jeopardy, council was told time and time again.

The outpouring of criticism directed at the increased fees spurred council to postpone their vote. Instead, city council and the park board will meet in February to go over details of an updated fee schedule.

The Parks and Recreation department is proposing to increase park use fees this year with the intent of more accurately covering costs to maintain heavily used facilities such as Depot Park. A dozen major events were held at the downtown park last summer, along with the weekly farmers market, and the wear and tear was substantial, parks director Karl Cozad told council.

“Depot Park is our crown jewel and most used facility,” he said. “Last year the 11 or 12 major events over 16 weeks took its toll on the facility.”

Cozad noted in his staff report that adjustments are made annually to the fee schedule in order to maintain a close relationship between the cost of upkeep at city parks and fees charged.

“We would expect those who use the facilities to contribute to maintenance,” he said.

The proposed rate increase would impact special events like the downtown Tuesday farmers market, Huckleberry Days, the July 4 arts festival and Oktoberfest.

The proposed 2013 fee schedule bumps the cost of hosting a special event at Depot Park from $200 per day to $300 per day. A discounted rate for nonprofits jumps from $150 per day to $225 per day. Half-day rates are also available.

Cozad notes that 96 percent of special events are hosted by nonprofit groups and that most occur at Depot Park.

One proposed addition to the fee schedule is a $500 event support fee. Multi-day events, Cozad said, often require staff to perform substantial repairs to park infrastructure due to misuse of the facility and the placement of large tents and stages within the park.

Another proposed fee is based on the number of vendors in attendance. The fee ranges from no charge for one to five vendors, to $500 for 46 or more.

Cozad said the number of vendors is a strong indicator as to the size of the event and what related expenses will occur in the city’s effort to maintain the park.

A fivefold increase in fees was projected for the farmers market under the new schedule. Their fees would have increased from $1,140 for 19 dates in 2012, to $5,985. A few market organizers said the true calculation was more likely near $12,000 for 19 dates considering the number of vendors in attendance.

Farmers market co-chair Rhonda Fitzgerald said the market couldn’t operate with those costs.

Huckleberry Days would pay $1,900 for the four-day festival, opposed to $600 paid last year. Same goes for the July 4 art festival.

Fees for Oktoberfest, which runs for seven dates, would increase from $1,050 in 2012 to $2,075.

At Monday’s meeting Cozad introduced an alternative schedule for council to consider that includes the option of a $25 hourly fee that he said might be more equitable. The alternative also only charges the vendor fee once per year.

The alternative schedule puts the maximum annual charge on the farmers market at $2,050 for all 19 dates. Based on 50 vendors, this translates to $2.14 per vendor per date.

Cozad said he was sensitive to the impacts increased fees might have on local events after hearing from the public.

“The fact that a number of special events occur here is a real blessing to this community,” he said. “They do make this community a vibrant community. We are very fortunate here.”

During public comment, July 4 art festival director Shannon Fremont-Smith told council, “All that’s being seen is the damage to the park and not the value we bring to the community.”

The Whitefish Christian Academy hosts the festival annually as a fundraiser for the school.

John Frandsen said increased fees don’t make sense from a business perspective.

“The city may create a little revenue on the fee, but lose revenue other places,” he said. “Consider the disruption the fees may cause to vital economic activities in Whitefish.”

Councilor Phil Mitchell had a few concerns following public comment. He said one way or another the city has to fund maintenance at the park, whether it’s through a user fee or raising taxes.

“That’s hard for me,” he said. “At some point our budget is going to break. If you want some of these things and you want the city to pay for these, then our taxes will go up.”

Raising taxes makes it harder for working families to live here, Mitchell added.

“We are losing what I moved here for,” he said.

He suggested that if the farmers market organizers feel like the event is a benefit to businesses, then businesses could pay a portion of the user fee.

Councilor John Anderson noted that if use at the park were to go down, maintenance costs incurred by the city would go down as well.

A new Depot Park management plan proposed by the park board allows only one mulit-day event per month and only one weekend single-day event per week.

The scheduling limitations were crafted to allow recovery time between events. Cozad said that with the plan, impacts on the park won’t be as dramatic. Although fewer events means less revenue for the parks department, he added.