Brentwood commission ratifies field rental rates, shifts concession operations to volunteers/rental model

The commission voted to ratify the town’s published field rental rates and directed staff to enforce them rather than continue ad-hoc discounts that some members said had been granted in prior years.

Members flagged past discounts—described in the meeting as ranging from roughly 15% to 60%—and said failing to bill the published rate had left the department underresourced. The published rate cited in discussion was $25 per hour; commissioners discussed that some larger organizations may have benefited from large, longstanding discounts. The commission approved a motion to hold to the published billing schedule and asked staff to perform a needs assessment and return with recommendations.

On concession stands, staff provided a multi-year accounting showing an average annual loss (about $600 per year) and a cumulative multi-year deficit cited as $1,828.32. Given the operating losses and staffing costs, the director proposed moving away from town-staffed concession operations toward a volunteer-run or rental model where renter groups supply volunteers and keep proceeds or sign a rental agreement for the stand. The commission voted to adopt that approach, with members noting the need to address board-of-health requirements and cash-handling controls if volunteers are used.

Next steps: staff will notify major renters of the decision, initiate a needs assessment for field rates and usage, require rental agreements and proof of insurance, and prepare inventory and process changes for concession rentals before the spring season.