Costa Mesa Parks and Community Services Commission Special Meeting May 21, 2026

The City of Costa Mesa Parks and Community Services Commission held a special meeting on May 21, 2026, primarily focused on reviewing proposed user fee increases for parks and recreation services. The commission received a detailed presentation from the city's finance department and consultant Clear Source regarding a cost recovery study and recommendations to adjust certain fees, including a new tournament field rental fee and modest increases to five existing fees, generally around 10-20%. Commissioners discussed the need for more granular usage and comparative fee data from similar cities before approving changes, emphasizing the importance of public engagement and consideration of impacts on youth, senior, and nonprofit programming. The commission voted to defer approval of the fee changes to a future meeting to allow staff to provide additional data and options. Other agenda items included approval of donations for memorial benches and trees in city parks, review of the commission's annual report, and formation of an evaluation team to study new community garden locations. The meeting reflected a careful balancing of cost recovery goals with community values and equity concerns.