“It’s just not worth it,” he said.
On July 2, Khan called the rates “very reasonable” before joining his colleagues in adopting the fee schedule.
Under the proposal, the first-ever hourly rates for the use of city fields would have started at $4 and increased over time to $14 in 2012 during regular sports seasons, providing the city with an additional $325,402 a year to help cover the expense of maintaining fields that have seen increased wear and tear with a corresponding jump in youth sports participation.
Other cities charge youth leagues either nominal flat fees or hourly rates for the use of their fields, but in Glendale the fields have always been free for groups that meet strict eligibility and nonprofit requirements.
Even at the $4-per-hour rate, dominant groups like the American Youth Soccer Organization and Jewel City-JWV Little League would have incurred tens of thousands of dollars in additional costs that representatives on Thursday said would either bankrupt their leagues or price many low-income children out of their respective sports.
“That’s simply not suitable for people to participate,” said Jordan Harriman, a board member for the Jewel City Little League.
In addition to recommending to the City Council that no new fees be imposed, commissioners also endorsed the efforts of parks officials to establish a nonprofit foundation that would raise funds and help subsidize youth sports in the city.
“There should be no doubt that youth is a priority for us,” Commissioner Zareh Sinanyan said.
