The cost of using Whitefish city parks for big events may be going up big-time.

The city wants to impose a new $500 event support fee plus a public use sliding fee of up to $500 per event, depending on the number of vendors.

That means the cost of renting Depot Park for events such as the July 4 Art Show and Huckleberry Days would more than triple. And the fees for the popular Tuesday night Farmers Market would increase more than five-fold from $1,140 to $5,985 for the summer season.

A public hearing will be held at tonight’s Whitefish City Council meeting to consider the higher fees.

Prior to 2010, the only fee for city park use was a nominal application processing fee. Two years ago a fee schedule was adopted that was more reflective of recovering a portion of the costs associated with the operation and maintenance of parks and facilities that are overseen by the Whitefish Parks and Recreation Department, Parks Director Karl Cozad said in his report to the council.

The current fee for using Depot Park is $150 per day for nonprofit groups or $200 daily for other large gatherings. Those fees would increase to $225 for nonprofits and $300 for other group.

The rent is lower on other Whitefish parks, such as Riverside Park along the Whitefish River, which currently costs $75 a day for nonprofits or $100 for other groups. Those fees would bump up to $100 a day for nonprofits and $150 for other groups.

The new fee schedule includes facilities other than parks, such as the Mountain Trails Saddle club, Stumptown Ice Den, tennis courts and Roy Duff Armory Building.

The increase in fees is largely driven by the overuse of the popular Depot Park. To that end, the Parks and Recreation Department has drafted a Depot Park management and maintenance plan.

Cozad said the purpose of the Depot Park maintenance plan is to find a balance in scheduling big events while minimizing negative impacts to the park.

The new policy will put limits on the use of Depot Park, such as allowing only one multiday event per month and keeping one weekend a month open with no scheduled events.

Recovery time between events has been a challenge, Cozad said in his report, because there is typically a setup and breakdown day for multiday events.

“A three-day event translates to five days without irrigation and mowing,” he said.

The new $500 event support fee aims to cover the costs of assistance provided by city staff and any damages to the facilities.

The new event size fee charges users varying amounts based on the number of vendors.

For example, the Farmers Market last year paid $60 per week for 19 evenings, for a total of $1,140.

Under the proposed fee schedule, the weekly fee rises to $115 per evening, plus a weekly vendor fee of $200. That would increase the Farmers Market fees to $5,985 for the summer season.

If the Farmers Market had 26 to 35 vendors, the weekly event size fee would be $300; for 46 or more vendors it jumps to $500 weekly.

“We couldn’t possibly absorb that kind of increase or anywhere close to that,” Farmers Market organizer Rhonda Fitzgerald said, adding that she doesn’t feel the weekly market should be bundled with other big events.

“I think the Farmers Market is a different animal and needs to be handled as a partnership with the city,” she said.

Fees to hold the annual Oktoberfest would double, from $1,050 last year to $2,075 in the proposed schedule.

Cozad maintained that when comparing Whitefish’s proposed rates to Kalispell and Columbia Falls, Whitefish would still be the “best buy” in the valley.

The city of Kalispell charges both an event size fee and a vendor's fee for special events. For events that are larger than 500 participants, a negotiated fee is determined, but for events that range from 200 to 500 people the daily fee is $360 plus individual vendor fees ranging from $10 to $15 per event.

In Columbia Falls the rate schedule also is driven by the size of the event. For example, an event that would draw 500 people would be $400 per day plus a 10 percent administrative fee.

IN OTHER business tonight, the council will hold two other public hearings.

One hearing will consider a conditional use permit request from Michael Bode for a recreation facility within an existing warehouse building at 5932 U.S. 93 S. The after-the-fact permit is needed to allow Big Mountain CrossFit to continue operating. The Planning Board last month recommended approval, with seven conditions that include septic improvements to the site.

The other hearing focuses on amendments to retaining-wall regulations in the city code.

The meeting begins at 7:10 p.m. at Whitefish City Hall.

Features editor Lynnette Hintze may be reached at 758-4421 or by email at lhintze@dailyinterlake.com.