The Peachtree City Recreation Department is proposing to charge an annual $10 fee to city residents who use the Gathering Place for regularly scheduled events such as bridge groups and the like.

The proposal ups the charge to $20 a year for out-of-county users, and if approved by the City Council, it would go into effect in January, Leisure Services Director Randy Gaddo wrote in a memo to the City Council. The fee would not be charged to people who rent the facility for their own use, Gaddo indicated.

The issue will be discussed by the City Council at its regular meeting Thursday night at 7 p.m. at City Hall.

The city plans to issue users a swipe card they will use at check-in, and users will occasionally be able to bring guests without paying, Gaddo’s memo to council said. That system is expected to cost about $1,000 for start-up, but would have revenue of roughly $5,000, Gaddo said.

Gaddo is also proposing that the city begin to charge room rental fees for churches, schools and civic groups, though they would be given several no-fee bookings a year in which they could be bumped as soon as one week before the rental should a paying customer need the space.

When those organizations do pay a fee, they can’t be bumped, but the event can be scheduled no more than a month in advance.

Room and facility rentals proposed for civic groups range from $20 per hour for the small room at the Gathering Place to $65 an hour for the full gym at the Kedron Fieldhouse and Aquatic Center.

This change would net the city an estimated $5,000 to $8,000 a year based on the 2007 room usage, Gaddo indicated.

Another proposed change is in the way the city charges fees to rent sports fields. Currently the rental fee is charged per game. The new fee would be charged by the hour with a daily maximum charge.

The fee for sports fields changes depending on the user, with different charges for civic, church or school groups, Fayette residents, Fayette businesses and out-of-county residents or businesses.

The hope is the new fee structure will encourage more sports tournaments to come to the city, as it will cost $125 a day for an out-of-county business to rent an unlighted athletic field and $150 per day to rent a lighted athletic field.