Group rental fees scuttled for now

A proposal to charge $10 to $20 a year for each person meeting at regular "groups" at the Gathering Place in Peachtree City was tabled by the City Council Thursday night.

The matter was tabled so the recreation department could do some homework on a potential new facility or room rental fee for churches, schools and civic groups.

Opponents of a new rental fee have said they felt the city was already "paying" for the utilities and upkeep of the facilities so they didn't see the need to pay extra for it. City staff later investigated changing the proposed fee just to offset the utility expenses, but the fees would have been "negligible," according to a report from Peachtree City Leisure Services Director Randy Gaddo.

Gaddo said it was hard for staff to determine what groups were "civic" in nature instead of those, for example, just having their end of the year party. Staff wanted to come up with a concrete definition of a civic group before recommending further changes.

The new Gathering Place fee, which would be implemented beginning in January, is expected to net between $5,000 and $8,000 to help offset the costs of operating the facility, officials said.

In order to track those who pay the Gathering Place fees, the recreation department plans to use a swipe card system that will allow them to quickly check in. The process also allows for automated attendance reports.

Additionally the recreation department plans on allowing a certain amount of guest passes per user so they can occasionally bring guests without having to pay for them.

The new fees will not apply to facility rentals or people taking instructional classes.

Councilwoman Cyndi Plunkett said she wanted the city to look at charging more for county residents using the Gathering Place because the county charges more to city residents using the senior citizen's center.

Mayor Harold Logsdon said senior services is on the next agenda for a meeting between all local government agencies in Fayette County.