As a part of its mission, the Park Authority offers a broad range of leisure facilities and services desired by those who live in Fairfax County.  To support these facilities and services, the Park Authority charges fees that supplement the appropriation received from the County’s General Fund. 

The Authority’s user fee policy authorizes that “services and facilities supported entirely, or in part, by the Park Authority Revenue and Operating Fund may have fees designated and charged, as authorized under the Park Authorities Act, offering a mechanism to increase the availability of programs and services that the General Fund does not provide.”

User fee revenues collected by the Park Authority are placed in the Park Authority Revenue and Operating Fund and are used for day-to-day operations of golf courses, Rec Centers, fee programs and store sales at Resource Management sites, rental facilities, program support at lakefront parks and Revenue and Operating Fund support operations.   The Park Authority Revenue and Operating Fund is managed as a collective enterprise.  Its net revenues are used to fund renovation and capital improvements at Revenue and Operating Fund sites.

Staff recommends facility fee adjustments, as needed, after analysis of facility operating and maintenance costs, and long term capital repair and replacement needs.  Costs and fees are reviewed by staff on a regular basis to minimize fee changes in any one year.

The Fairfax County Park Authority Board (PAB) makes the final decision through approval of the fee schedule, after studying staff recommendations and considering citizen comments.  The Park Authority Director can authorize discounts from approved fees for promotional purposes.

Typically, the PAB considers fee adjustments annually following the process outlined below. 

During times of budgetary stress, the PAB also reserves the right to make fee adjustments as needed during other times of the year.

In general, the Park Authority follows a 4-step process in establishing fees.

1. Determine the proportion of costs which the price should cover.  Some fees are:
   1. nominal (don’t cover a significant portion of direct operational costs, e.g., carousel rides),
   2. meant to cover direct operational costs (e.g., Rec Center room rentals),
   3. targeted to cover direct costs plus overhead (e.g., full cost recovery such as Rec Center admissions)
   4. meant to cover direct costs, overhead and some additional marginal cost for future capital needs (e.g., greens fees).

   The determination of what degree of cost recovery is appropriate is based on a notion of where a service rests on the continuum of services.  Some services are felt to be of general benefit to all and are, therefore, subsidized to some degree.  Others are felt to be of benefit only to those who participate.  In such instances, full cost recovery is warranted.

   Fee adjustments must also keep pace with increases in the cost-of-living and the cost of operations.  The Washington region consumer price index (CPI) was up 3.5% over the first half of 2023.  Cumulative two-year growth was 10.1%.

2. Determine the going rate.  Others offering similar services are surveyed to ensure that Park Authority rates are generally within the range of comparable providers – public and private.
3. Examine the appropriateness of fee differentials.  Fee differentials are used in a variety of instances including differences based on residency, age, time, quantities purchased and promotional needs.
4. Consider how patrons will perceive recommended fee changes.  Will patrons feel the recommended fee or fee increase is fair?  Is the increase reasonable given costs and market conditions?  Will the fee reduce patron participation?  Are there alternatives to reduce adverse impacts?  Will the service still be perceived as a good value?

The PAB does pay attention to your comments.  A 30-day public comment period on the fee proposal runs from October 30 through November 29, 2023, and a public comment meeting is scheduled for November 15, 2023 at 7 p.m.  This meeting will be held virtually.  No decision on the proposed fee adjustments will be made until after the PAB has had an opportunity to review public comment.  Action on fees is scheduled for the December 13, 2023 PAB meeting, with implementation of fee changes scheduled for January 1, 2024.  Written comments are also accepted via letter or e-mail.

For instructions to submit comments or participate in the public meeting, please go to Fairfax County Park Authority 2024 Proposed Fee Schedule.

Fee adjustments for 2024 are proposed in the following areas:

• Greens Fees – all golf courses
• Range Tokens and Range Passes- all range operations
• Laurel Hill Memberships- Laurel Hill
• General Admission Rates and Discount Fast Passes- all Rec Centers
• Indoor swimming pool base rental rates- all Rec Centers
• Admission fees– Water Mine
• Shade structure, funbrella, and picnic area reservations- Water Mine
• Picnic reservation rental fees- Lake Accotink
• Amphitheater Rentals- Mason District and Franconia
• Amusements (carousel, train)- all locations
• Photography Reservation fees- Green Spring Gardens

The Park Authority has an obligation to provide public recreation services to the citizens of Fairfax County, so it must ensure the financial stability of its operations.  One way to insure this is to require that costs and revenues from operations remain in balance.  For example:

• Annual golf course and Rec Center operation and maintenance are funded by user fees, not taxes.  Fees must be adjusted to ensure that operating costs as well as repair and replacement needs can be met. 
• Fiscal realities over the past several years have made it impossible to maintain Resource Management facilities solely out of the General Fund (citizens’ taxes).
• Extra revenue has funded, and will continue to fund, new programs and services for park patrons.
• In response to Federal health care legislation, the Park Authority Revenue and Operating Fund is now responsible for absorbing health care costs for eligible seasonal employees.
• Facilities are aging and renovation/repair needs are increasing.  User fee funds have recently been used for facility renovation projects at Rec Centers, golf courses and other facilities. 

Fee adjustments are proposed to bring fees in line with the cost of providing services, to provide adequate revenue to maintain the financial health of the Park Authority Revenue and Operating Fund (the repository of user fees) and to provide patrons with affordable recreation services.

Any fee adjustments approved by the Park Authority Board on December 13, 2023 will take effect on January 1, 2024.

No.  Although the fee schedule is reviewed every year, all fees do not necessarily increase annually.  Some of the fees that are proposed for adjustment haven’t been changed in several years.  However, in order to minimize the impact of fee increases on users, the Park Authority Board’s adopted Financial Management Annual Update does advocate employing smaller, more frequent fee adjustments rather than delaying increases for a longer period and then applying larger percentage increases to catch-up to rising costs.

The Park Authority always looks to minimize cost increases and make programmatic changes before considering fee changes.  All divisions continuously monitor their use of seasonal personnel and overtime, for example, as cost cutting initiatives.  Fee increases are only considered after cost control measures have been taken in order to maintain the level of quality in service delivery that users expect.

The proposed fee adjustments will help to ensure the stability of the Park Authority’s Revenue Fund which finances facilities and programs like golf courses, Rec Centers, lakefront parks and some services at cultural and historic sites.  Revenues obtained from users fees also service the debt on revenue bonds that have been used to fund golf facility and service expansion, including the development of Oak Marr and expansion of Twin Lakes in the 1990s and the development of Laurel Hill in the 2000s.  In recent years, the revenue that is generated from user fees has also helped to fund other new service enhancements such as updates to Rec Center fitness equipment, bent grass turf conversion at Twin Lakes Golf Course and new aquatic entertainment features at Lake Fairfax’s Water Mine. 

The PAB welcomes written comments (submitted online or by letter) received by 4:30 p.m. on November 29, 2023. 

Comments may be submitted online.

Letters should be addressed to:

Fairfax County Park Authority
ATTN: Public Information Office/Fee Comments
12055 Government Center Parkway, Suite #927
Fairfax, Virginia 22035

Fee information is posted on the Park Authority Fee Schedule webpage.

Resident and media inquiries may be directed to the Public Information Office by email at Parkmail@fairfaxcounty.gov or by contacting the Public Information Officer at 703-246-5092.