We will have to pay in 2013, but less than anticipated
City Council has voted and the result is as good as we could expect under the circumstances.
The bottom line is this: Starting in 2013 all users of outdoor fields will have to start paying hourly permit fees. The good news is, the fees will phased in over two years and a review will be conducted in year three to see if the fee is appropriate compared to other city fees and the services that are being provided.
Here are the details of the motions as approved 27-9 on July 12, 2012. (They are effectively what the coalition of sports organizations put forward through Councillor Janet Davis.)
1. City Council approve the introduction of the proposed sports field permit fees for children and youth organizations to be phased in over two years, so that the rates for 2013 will be $3/hour for A fields, $2/hour for B fields, $1/hour for C fields; and the rates for 2014 will be $6/hr for A fields; $4/hour for B fields; $2/hour for C fields, conditional on implementation of the field improvement plan and achieving the field maintenance standards; and further, that dry pad permit fees remain at $0/hour until such time as the maintenance needs for these facilities are reviewed and reported to Council.
2. City Council request the General Manager of Parks, Forestry and Recreation, in cooperation with sports organizations, develop and communicate an implementation plan for the steps outlined in this report to strengthen the City’s partnership with sports organizations and to improve the quality of sports fields: including the process and timelines for completion of the sports field classification and maintenance standards review, pre and post-season field condition audits, current utilization statistics and sports field capacity assessment, allocation of sports turf crews, clarifying roles, responsibilities and contributions of sports organizations, inclement weather and block booking policies, and the establishment of a Sport Organization Reference Group, and report back to Council after the 2013 season on the status of implementation, and to confirm fees for 2014.
3. City Council direct that the permit fees for 2015 be considered through the User Fee Review process, and that any increases be phased in over time, with appropriate consultation and in a manner that allows the sports groups to adjust their fees accordingly.
4. City Council direct the General Manager, Parks, Forestry and Recreation to consult with sports organizations, including the Toronto Sports Council, on the development of a long-term fields plan and capital financing strategy for sports fields, as approved by Council in April 2012, and report to the Parks and Environment Committee in the spring of 2013.
and add the following new Recommendations:
5. General Manager of Parks, Forestry and Recreation review the divisional program and permit policies with respect of age of participants and report to the appropriate standing committee on recommended changes to the permit policies to reflect the City definition of “youth.”
6. City Council direct the General Manager, Parks, Forestry and Recreation to establish a policy and criteria for partial or full waiving of permit fees, at the discretion of the General Manager, in the interest of ensuring affordable access to outdoor sport in all communities.
7. City Council requests the General Manager, Parks, Forestry and Recreation to include sufficient resources to implement the program in his 2013 Operating Budget.
The following Councillors supported the motion:
Maria Augimeri, Ana Bailão, Michelle Berardinetti, Shelley Carroll, Raymond Cho, Josh Colle, Gary Crawford, Vincent Crisanti (Etobicoke), Janet Davis, Glenn De Baeremaeker, Sarah Doucette, Paula Fletcher, Mary Fragedakis, Mike Layton, Chin Lee, Gloria Lindsay Luby (Etobicoke), Josh Matlow, Pam McConnell, Mary-Margaret McMahon, Frances Nunziata (Chair), Cesar Palacio, John Parker, James Pasternak, Gord Perks, Jaye Robinson, Adam Vaughan, Kristyn Wong-Tam
The following Councillors voted against the motion:
Paul Ainslie, Mike Del Grande, Frank Di Giorgio, Doug Ford (Etobicoke), Mayor Rob Ford, Deputy Mayor Doug Holyday (Bloordale’s local councillor in Etobicoke), Norman Kelly, Giorgio Mammoliti, Peter Milczyn (Etobicoke)
The following Councillors were absent:
John Filion, Mark Grimes (Etobicoke), Joe Mihevc, Denzil Minnan-Wong, Ron Moeser, Anthony Perruzza, David Shiner, Karen Stintz, Michael Thompson
NEXT STEPS
Bloordale Baseball has not yet had a chance to do a detailed accounting of what the new fees will cost our House League, Select, and Rep program players. An early rough guess-timate puts the figure in the neighborhood of 9-10,000 for 2013. These new permit fees will have to be passed along to our players through registration fees in the future seasons to come. We will keep you informed of the breakdown of costs once we have had a chance to work out the final numbers.
Should you have any questions regarding this issue, please feel free to contact Bloordale President Patrick McConnell via email at [email protected]. You can also leave your comments below this post in the space provided.
Should you be interested in the background of this issue, scroll through the news section on the Bloordale Baseball website.
Thanks to everyone for your support in our fight to continue to deliver the youth of our community an affordable, volunteer-based sports program.