HIKE IN PARK FEES? PRICES OF PROGRAMS WILL BE DISCUSSED AT PUBLIC MEETING.

Byline: Susan Abram  Staff Writer

SANTA CLARITA - Fee increases for 2005 recreational programs at Santa Clarita parks are being proposed and will be discussed next month during a public meeting.

The city's Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Services has completed an in-depth fee study to determine the cost of providing the dozens of services offered throughout the year, said Elena Galvez, management analyst for Santa Clarita.

The study is conducted every five years and is separate from the annual city budget adjustments. The yearly fee increases coincide with the Consumer Price Index.

``What we've realized from the last five years is that we're not in line with fees,'' Galvez said. ``It's not tied to the city budget though, coincidentally, this is a year when we continue to have a tight budget climate. But even if we did not, we would propose these increases.''

The city is proposing raising summer day camp fees, for example, from $136 to $140 a week or by 3 percent.

Youth sports, meanwhile, would be raised from $75 per participant to $86 or a 15 percent increase.

No programs are proposed to be dropped, Galvez said.

The public meeting will be held at 5:30 p.m. May 26 at City Hall, 23920 Valencia Blvd., Santa Clarita.

The issue will be presented to the City Council on June 22.

Susan Abram, [phone]

susan.abram(at)dailynews.com