May 20, 2005

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Palo Alto Online

News Digest

A proposed new $5 daily parking charge for Palo Alto's nature preserves will be among a hefty dose of new fees and increases that the Palo Alto City Council Finance Committee will discuss Tuesday night.

Other groups that will face new fees, increased fines or other higher charges include: theatre-goers, students who take city classes, adult soccer players who want to use new soccer fields at night, residents and businesses applying for permits and inspections, golfers and drivers who exceed parking limits downtown.

The new parking fee for the city's nature preserves is for automobiles only. It is expected to raise $100,000 annually city the city. The money would be collected in new pay stations that would be installed next year in Foothills Park, Arastradero Preserve and the Baylands.

Regular visitors could purchase a $50 annual parking pass if the proposal is approved, Community Services Director Richard James noted.

The three nature preserves bring in nearly no revenue, James added. They are projected to cost the city approximately $1.8 million to manage next year, according to the proposed spending plan.

The city is facing a projected $5.2 million deficit for 2005-06, which is primarily the result of the stagnant local economy not growing to meet exploding employee benefit costs. City leaders are proposing a combination of increased fees, layoffs and service reductions to balance the budget.

Officials admitted there has been little or no public outreach to the groups that could be affected by the proposed fees.

Another controversial new fee is a $1 charge on theatre tickets in the Lucie Stern Community Center. TheatreWorks and West Bay Opera both oppose the new fee, since their audiences would have to endure the increased costs to their ticket prices.

"It appears to be a reduction for what the city is doing for the arts," said Randy Adams, TheatreWorks' managing director.

The theatres pay no rent on the theatre, and the city maintains it, James noted. The fee would raise a projected $60,000 a year.

Another proposed new fee would impact adult soccer players who wish to use the new Mayfield fields at night. They would be charged per hour, rather than just a per-player, per-season charge, as other teams that use city fields are charged. Youth teams planning to use the field would not be affected.

That proposal, James said, was due to the fact that the Mayfield fields, planned to be located on the corner of Page Mill Road and El Camino Real, are the first city fields with lights and artificial turf.

The entire city-spending plan could get final committee approval Tuesday night. It also needs City Council's approval, scheduled for June 20. --Bill D'Agostino

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