Clark County Council OKs increasing park fees

Parking and picnic shelter rental fees at several Clark County regional parks will go up Jan. 1.

The Clark County Council on Tuesday unanimously approved a new rate structure proposed by the county parks department.

Parking fees, which are only charged at the county’s four regional parks, will increase from $3 to $5 daily for any vehicle, replacing a matrix of different fees based on vehicle size. Salmon Creek Regional Park/Klineline Pond is not included in the new fee structure. The council will consider fees for that park during a Dec. 2 council work session on fees within the Greater Clark Parks District, which encompasses the unincorporated urban area just outside Vancouver city limits.

The rental fee for picnic shelters is going up by $10 across all sizes and will range from $60 to $160 per day. Also, meeting room fee increases are structured to favor local nonprofits and residents, who will pay $50 per hour, while nonresidents and others would pay $150 per hour.

The fee increases are expected to generate about $200,000 in additional revenue for the county parks department.

During Tuesday’s meeting, Jennifer Coker, deputy director of Clark County Public Works, said creating and stewarding parks that promote health and wellness, boost economic vitality and preserve natural areas enriches local communities. But to continue providing those services, the department needs additional funding.

“Given rising costs, we’re here today to take modest action to protect this public access and this quality of service,” Coker said. “It’s an incremental step toward a balanced recovery plan.”

It has been 15 years since the county last increased parking fees, Coker said. The parks department will offer 12 free park access days, which will differ from the state parks’ free days. Library card holders can also check out a free parking pass.

Councilor Matt Little suggested other options for creating additional revenue that could be considered later.

“For the picnic shelters, you could do an a.m./p.m. option. I know you don’t have the ability to enforce it, but if it was ‘be out of there by noon’ or ‘start your event by noon’ you could double your revenue on just that alone,” Little said.

Little also said increased accountability for paying for parking might encourage more people to pay, such as an automated kiosk that prints a receipt to be displayed on the dashboard, which can be used when fee booths are not staffed.

Coker said adding parking kiosks to the parking lots will be a topic of discussion with the council during next year’s budgeting process. Additional increases to the parking fees are likely, she said.

“The feedback we’ve received … shows there is room in these fees. So we are going to take an incremental approach of continuing to adjust, as part of a balanced revenue source,” Coker said.

Shari Phiel: shari.phiel@columbian.com; 360-562-6317; @Shari_Phiel