Item - 2012.CC22.6

City Council on April 10 and 11, 2012, adopted the following:

1.         City Council direct the City Manager to:

a.         meet with representatives of the sports teams, leagues and affected individuals in order to review the new rates, field classifications and the impact of these fees;

b.         report back to the Executive Committee and City Council by July 2012 on fees for sports fields in 2013 and how the concerns raised at the meetings from Part 1a above can be addressed for 2013;

c.         in the interim, waive these new fees for 2012; and

d.         offset the $1.5M in shortfall in the Parks, Forestry and Recreation approved Operating budget resulting from waiving of fees by a transfer from salary savings in the non-program budget.

2.         City Council request the General Manager, Parks, Forestry and Recreation, to consult with the Toronto Sport Council (TSC) and permit holders, and to report to July 11, 2012 meeting of City Council on the following:

a.         the classification of the Toronto fields, a comparison with surrounding municipalities, level of maintenance and infrastructure and proposed fee structure in relation to the classifications;

b.         an appropriate fee structure for box lacrosse and ball hockey;

c.         the previous and ongoing value of contributions and improvements to fields by leagues and clubs;

d.         a process for offering relief to those having financial difficulty paying for sports field permits;

e.         a finalized protocol for notifying groups in advance of fee changes in the future;

f.          how to ensure fields in priority neighbourhoods remain affordable after improvements by donations through the partnership office(s); and

g.         a policy for rain outs and block bookings.

3.         City Council request the Deputy City Manager and Chief Financial Officer, in consultation with the Deputy City Manager for Cluster A and the General Manager of Parks Forestry and Recreation, to report to the Budget Committee on a financing strategy to replace, repair and build sports fields in Toronto and to leverage partnership funding, including the feasibility of establishing a Sports Fields Renewal Reserve Fund.

4.         City Council request the City Manager, in consultation with the Deputy City Managers and Division Heads, to develop a consultation strategy for the 2013 budget that includes information sessions on the new User Fee Policy prior to budget release and consultation sessions with users and stakeholder groups affected by fees in Parks Forestry and Recreation during the budget process.