POST FALLS — It wasn’t a City Council agenda item. Still, residents and families representing Post Falls Little League made their feelings known Tuesday about the annual fees they pay to use city fields.

Pansy Baker, vice president of the Post Falls Little League, said there are nearly 420 players ages 4-16 registered with the league. 

"Every season, it has gone up," Baker said. "That's, of course, to be expected with the number of people moving into our region." 

The per-child cost of playing increases as kids get older because they play more games. Field-use fees require families to pony up $90 to $165, depending on the child's age. The city has about seven fields.

“I think a lot of people would be shocked to find out that a nonprofit Little League pays $12,000 a year to use a city field,” Bill Carlson said. 

Carlson said he was there to try to find out why his grandson had to pay to play. 

The city owns the field, but Little League has replaced the scoreboard and purchased dirt for the fields.

Parks and recreation mows the lawn, waters the grass, and has, in the past, reimbursed the league for improvements. 

Although Pansy Baker also said Little League pays $12,000 annually to the city's recreation department, that figure was disputed Wednesday by new Director of Parks and Recreation, Kris Ammerman.

Upon examining the records for Little League after the council meeting, Parks and Recreation found the $12,000 annual fee quoted by members representing Post Falls Little League was not reflected in invoices or payments made in recent years. 

"There's nothing that's even close to $12,000," Ammerman said. "I think years ago, maybe 10 years ago, there were bills of $12,000, but those were actually never paid. The city forgave some of those and I don’t know what was actually paid." 

From 2020 through 2025, records that are part of the MOU with Little League show fees were reduced by 50%, and the league had priority for time slots to play.

"It's been more in the ballpark of $2,000 to 5,000 for those years," Ammerman said. 

During the meeting, Councilor Samantha Steigleder asked for clarification on the league's process for replacing items. 

“Has it just been taken on because it’s easier for you to organize yourself?” Steigleder asked. 

Baker said the league works with the city when things are broken or need replacement. 

“Oftentimes it’s fix it and then take it off of your fees,” Baker said.  

Having grown up playing on city baseball fields, Councilor Nathan Ziegler didn’t promise an immediate resolution, but said city leadership will look into how the fees were structured and seek solutions. 

“This is news to me that the fees would be that exorbitant,” Ziegler said. “I think it’s very well within reason for us to consider this and take a look into the parks and recreation budget and see why this is what it is.” 

Steve Tsuji said scholarships in the legion league helped him during years when money was tight, and he wanted others to experience the game the way he did.

“With these fees, there’s no money left for scholarships,” Tsuji said.  

He said families are helping maintain the spaces before games and lay chalk on the ground.

“I coached Little League for four years even with a brain injury,” Tsuji said. “In legion baseball, they floated me for four years.”  

Resident Julie Hensley voiced concerns about the fees.

“These are Post Falls families, these are taxpayers, these are the same people who already fund these parks and pay their property taxes. Charging them again to use these fields is simply charging the community twice,” Hensley said.  

She called other local cities to compare league fees and said that Post Falls was unique in how it charged. 

Hensley said that each year, she, her husband and other parents clear the pinecones and trash from the fields to get them ready for baseball and softball season. 

“It is not for our own glory, it’s to help out our kids and our community,” Hensley said. 

The Press reached out to Coeur d’Alene Recreation Superintendent Adam Rouse, who said fees paid for league use of city fields in Coeur d’Alene were comparable to the numbers quoted by Ammerman for Post Falls Little League.  

For use of about five baseball fields between practices and games, Coeur d’Alene Parks and Recreation is about one year into an MOU agreement to charge the league $4,000, with a 5% annual increase.  

Rouse also said Coeur d’Alene reduces the fee when improvements are made to the fields.  

“We like to look at those user groups as community partners,” Rouse said. “They have built some storage sheds out and we’re getting a pretty good value for that.”

Post Falls parks and recreation staff are preparing a report on Little League fees to present at the next council meeting April 7.  

    Steve Tsuji said that when all the money goes toward paying the city of Post Falls for the use of baseball fields, there is little left over for Little League and Legion baseball scholarships for people whose families can't cover them.