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CC - CONSENT ITEM: Adoption of a Resolution Updating the City Fee Schedule for Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department Fees for Fiscal Year 2026-2027 to Reduce the Culver City Afterschool Recreation Program (CCARP) Fee to $51 Per Participant Per Week (Reflecting the CCARP Fee Prior to the Fee Increase Adopted on May 26, 2026).

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Meeting Date: September 14, 2026

Contact Person/Dept.: Tomás Herrera-Mishler/Parks, Recreation and Community Services

Phone Number:  (310) 253-6685

Fiscal Impact:  Yes [X]    No []                                          General Fund:  Yes [X]     No []

Attachments:   Yes [X]     No []   

Public Notification:   (E-Mail) Meetings and Agendas - City Council (09/10/2026)  

Department Approval:  Tomás Herrera-Mishler, Director PRCS (08/24/2026)      _____________________________________________________________________

RECOMMENDATION

Staff recommends the City Council adopt a Resolution (Attachment 1) updating the City Fee Schedule for Parks, Recreation and Community Services (PRCS) Department fees for Fiscal Year 2026-2027 to reduce the Culver City Afterschool Recreation Program (CCARP) fee to $51 per participant per week (which reflects the CCARP fee prior to the fee increase adopted on May 26, 2026).

BACKGROUND

The Culver City Afterschool Recreation Program (CCARP) is an after-school program offered through the Park, Recreation and Community Services Department. The program operates 36 weeks of the year in conjunction with the Culver City Unified School District (CCUSD) calendar at the following sites:

•                     Blanco Park serving students at El Rincon Elementary School.

•                     El Marino Park serving students at El Marino Language School.

•                     Lindberg Park serving students at Farragut Elementary School.

•                     Linwood E Howe Elementary School serving students on the school’s campus.

The fee for CCARP was reviewed as part of the PRCS Department’s comprehensive fee update for Fiscal Year 2026-2027. Prior to the recent fee update, PRCS fees had not been updated since 2014.  Pursuant to Article XIII C, Section 1(e) of the California Constitution, fees charged for a specific government service or product must not exceed the reasonable cost of providing that service or product. To ensure compliance with these requirements, PRCS worked with NBS Government Finance Group to conduct a detailed cost analysis of the CCARP program before considering any fee adjustments.

The cost analysis for CCARP included the following components:

•                     The Fiscal Year 2025-2026 adopted budget for CCARP, including part-time staff costs, supplies, contracts, and materials;

•                     A proportionate share of indirect staff costs associated with administering and supporting the program, calculated as a percentage of the adopted Fiscal Year 2025-2026 budget;

•                     Costs allocated to CCARP through the City’s Cost Allocation Plan prepared by NBS Government Finance Group; and

•                     Actual facility and field usage costs associated with program operations.

Based on this analysis, staff determined that the full cost of providing the program was $219.07 per participant per week. Staff then applied various subsidies to the full cost of the program to mitigate the impact of a significant fee increase.  These included:

•                     Service Category Philosophy: Consistent with the City’s cost recovery philosophy and use of service categories, CCARP falls within the “Out of School Activities” service category. Staff applied a 70% cost-recovery target with a 30% subsidy to participants.

•                     Phased Increase of Fee: The service category cost recovery amount represented a 200% increase from the $51.00 fee last established in Fiscal Year 2013-2014. To mitigate the impact on participating families, PRCS staff recommended phasing in the increase over time through additional subsidy. 

•                     Resident Discount: City Council directed PRCS staff to define “Resident” as anyone who lives within the boundaries of Culver City or is enrolled at a CCUSD school.  All participants therefore receive an additional 10% subsidy for being residents. 

After applying these subsidies to the CCARP cost, the proposed fee per week is explained as follows:

•                     Cost per Participant: $219.07

•                     30% Service Category Subsidy: $153.35

•                     34% Subsidy for a phased increase: $102

•                     10% Resident Discount: $91

The proposed fee, which was adopted by the City Council on May 26, 2026, increased the weekly cost for all participating families from $51 to $91.

In addition, during its meeting on May 26, 2026, the City Council directed staff to return with additional information regarding the fee increase and to develop an assistance program for families participating in CCARP. During its meeting on August 10, 2026, the City Council again directed staff to return with a proposal to reevaluate the CCARP fee increase for Fiscal Year 2026-2027, along with a revised subsidy program.

DISCUSSION

In response to City Council’s direction, PRCS staff reevaluated the fee increase and recommends maintaining (reducing) the CCARP fee at $51 per participant per week for Fiscal Year 2026-2027. Maintaining the prior fee will provide additional time for staff to reevaluate the service category, cost-recovery target, and subsidy structure applicable to CCARP.  The $51 per participant per week fee would remain in effect through June 30, 2027. The $10 multi-child discount would also remain in effect through June 30, 2027.

The proposed fee freeze (reduction) is intended to be temporary and would allow these policy considerations to be addressed as part of the City's comprehensive fee update for Fiscal Year 2027-2028, which is scheduled to occur in late Fiscal Year 2026-2027. 

During the Citywide comprehensive fee update for Fiscal Year 2027-2028, which is scheduled to occur in late Fiscal Year 2026-2027, staff would return with updated fees and potentially a revised subsidy structure for CCARP.

FISCAL ANALYSIS

During its meeting on June 8, 2026, the City Council approved an ongoing increase of $100,000 to the Fiscal Year 2026-2027 budget for the Parks, Recreation, and Community Services After School Program account (10130233) for the hardship assistance program based on the impact of the $91 weekly fee on lower income families. The $100,000 allocation is now being proposed to be used to partially offset the estimated revenue impact of maintaining the $51 weekly fee.

Last year, CCARP generated $310,812 in revenue. For the current fiscal year, Council adopted a budget that allocated $651,737 under the updated fee schedule with the $91/week base rate and associated multi-child discounts. The proposed “rollback” of the fee may create a shortfall in anticipated revenues that may necessitate a review of program operations, notably whether there is sufficient budget allocated to ensure successful delivery of the program.  This may require an augmentation to the existing budget for the program.   Staff will monitor General Fund revenues to determine whether and how much will be needed to supplement this program and, if needed, an augmentation will be presented to City Council in a mid-year budget process.

ATTACHMENTS

1.                     2026-09-14_ATT 1_Resolution updating City Fee Schedule PRCS Department fees for Fiscal Year 2026-207

recommended action

MOTION(S)

That the City Council:

Adopt a Resolution updating the City Fee Schedule for Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department fees for Fiscal Year 2026-2027 to reduce the Culver City Afterschool Recreation Program (CCARP) fee to $51 per participant per week (which reflects the CCARP fee prior to the fee increase adopted on May 26, 2026).