Broomfield proposes systematic parks and recreation fee updates, shifts family pass to household model

Parks and recreation leaders proposed a structured, repeatable approach to fees that would raise cost recovery and simplify administration, including switching from a family pass to a household pass and revising roughly 250 fee lines.

Director of Operations Clay Shuck and Recreation Superintendent Matt Gulley told council the community has not updated many fees for years and that rising labor, utility and debt costs require a more consistent policy. The recommended target is roughly 55–60% cost recovery on operations (and staff noted that including debt would lower that recovery ratio to near 25%). Gulley said staff used market comparisons and a consultant to establish resident/nonresident splits and that proposed changes will be phased.

Why it matters: Parks and rec provides widely used community amenities; small per‑transaction changes can meaningfully affect program budgets and customer experience. Staff emphasized the household‑pass change both to be more inclusive of multigenerational households and to reduce back‑office payment friction (one monthly charge rather than multiple per family member).

Key details and context: Examples include modest increases in daily facility rates (youth/teen resident pass from $3.50 to $4; nonresident youth/teen from $6.25 to $7) and a household pass redefinition allowing combinations of adults, seniors and children to better represent living arrangements. Staff said they will round prices to the nearest quarter to simplify transactions.

What happens next: Council expressed general support for the staff recommendations and asked for additional follow‑up on market comparators and impacts on program affordability; staff will incorporate council feedback as they bring formal fee ordinances forward for adoption.