Mountain House commission approves tennis-court rules; adds coach-certification requirement and limits participant fees

After extended public comment and internal debate over coach monopolies and public access, the Mountain House Parks & Recreation Commission approved revised tennis-court rental policies that require certifications for instructors, cap commercial coaching hours, and add a participant fee limit.

Laura presented the draft, telling the commission staff had incorporated public feedback: limiting commercial lesson hours during prime time, requiring commercial users to provide certifications, publishing weekly court schedules so residents can see who has reserved courts, and penalizing unauthorized commercial use (suspension and cancellation). "We are going to start requiring commercial users to provide certifications with their rental requests," Laura said.

Debate centered on two issues: how to allocate scarce court time among legacy organizations, leagues and new coaches, and whether it is appropriate for the commission to constrain what private instructors may charge participants. Staff proposed limiting established organizations to no more than 20 hours per week (dedicated to a single court during specified hours) while allowing private standalone coaches up to five hours per week. Commissioners discussed allocation priority rules (youth and nonprofit prioritization) and the trade-off between protecting legacy programs and creating opportunities for new coaches.

After several unsuccessful motions to remove or change a proposed cap, the commission adopted an amendment that inserted a pricing limit for participants: commercial users may not charge participants more than $50 per hour for lessons and no more than $50 per person per month for league play. Commissioners then approved the policy as amended; the motion passed 3–2.

The revised policy also instructs staff to review the changes by December 2024 and return with a report on how the allocation and hour caps are functioning. The rules will be forwarded to the board for final adoption.