Park and rec, building fee changes loom

Want to play at one of Mecklenburg County's golf courses or rent the historic St. Mary's Chapel for an event? Planning to host a run or other organized event at a county greenway?

Well, you could face new or higher fees starting in July.

This afternoon, county commissioners are expected to hear officials from the Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation Department and the Land Use & Environmental Services Agency discuss proposed fee changes for the 2010-11 budget year.

You can read about the proposed fees, which must be approved by commissioners, by clicking here.

Among the proposals:
1) Implement new fees to reserve facilities for organized walks, runs, bike races, fundraisers or other events at county greenways and park trails. The fees would range between $100 and $610 depending on the number of participants. The parks department said the events require advanced signage and clean up, which are performed by county staff.
2) Increase rental fees for facilities like the Mecklenburg County Aquatic Center and St. Mary's Chapel, as well as establish a new charge for the multi-purpose room and gym at Revolution Park Sports Academy.
3) Set a new $4.50 hourly fee to reserve time at the outdoor basketball courts at Clanton and Camp Greene parks for tournaments, leagues and organized events. Open play will continue at a first-come, first-served basis.
4) Create a technology surcharge on commercial building projects to support creation of electronic plan submittal system and other technology.

County commissioners recently signed off on other code enforcement fee increases, including a general 4.75 percent increase on existing building permits based on total construction cost per permit. Code enforcement officials said it was the first across-the-board increase in building permit fees since 2003. You can read about those fees changes by clicking here. -- April Bethea