PRC Memberships & Fees

PRC Membership Fee Survey Results

The City of Lawrence is exploring membership fees for Parks, Recreation and Culture (PRC) facilities as one strategy to help sustain the services and programs our community relies on.

We’re committed to keeping our recreation centers accessible and welcoming, but we cannot continue operating at our current level without new sources of funding. This is a conversation about long-term sustainability — and your input is critical. Our goal is to preserve community access — not reduce it. We want these spaces to remain vibrant and available for everyone, and we need community support to make that possible.

Get Involved

Our online survey is the first opportunity to share your feedback with our team! It will be available from Friday, May 16 – Friday, June 6.

Take our Survey!

We’ll also be at local recreation centers to chat with neighbors about their priorities and what they think about introducing fees. Find us at one of these spots:

East Lawrence Recreation Center: Tuesday, May 27 from 8:30 – 10:30 a.m.
Community Building: Wednesday, May 28 from 8 – 10 a.m.
Holcom Park Recreation Center: Monday, June 9 from 5 – 7 p.m.
Sports Pavilion Lawrence: Thursday, June 12 from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m.

Additionally, we’re hosting focus groups with interested community members. Anyone interested in joining a focus group should complete the online survey and indicate your availability via that form.

Timeline

May – June 2025: Community engagement, including surveys pop-ups and focus groups, to gather input on introducing memberships and fees at Lawrence recreation facilities.
Tuesday, July 8: The City Manager’s Recommended Budget is presented to Lawrence City Commission
Monday, July 14: The PRC team will present a recommendation for membership fees to the Parks, Recreation and Culture Advisory Board.
Tuesday, July 15: The PRC team will present a recommendation for membership fees to the Lawrence City Commission. The Commission will be asked to provide feedback and direction on next steps.
July – August 2025: The PRC team will continue to develop fee structures based on feedback
Tuesday, Sept. 16: City of Lawrence budget adoption
January 2026: Fee implementation (proposed)

Background

2026 Budget

As part of the 2026 budget process, Lawrence City Commission asked the PRC department to propose a revenue plan that would fit the needs of this community while generating additional funds for the department.

Several departments across the City of Lawrence – including PRC – will be recommending service reductions to make up the projected budget deficit in 2026. If PRC can generate additional funds through memberships and fees, it can maintain more parks and recreation services for the coming year. Service reductions for PRC would mean reduced community use, including fewer recreation facility hours, fewer recreation programs and fewer parks and open spaces (as they take significant financial resources to maintain).

Market Comparison

PRC staff has been researching what neighboring communities charge for residents and visitors to use their recreation facilities. The local market comparison can be viewed here

Scholarships

PRC currently offers a scholarship program for community members who are unable to afford fees associated with parks and recreation programming. We’re looking forward to expanding the program and making scholarships easier to access. Understanding the community’s needs and wants as it relates to scholarships is an important part of our ongoing community engagement process, and we want to work with the community to develop a scholarship program that fits your needs.

Frequently Asked Questions

In 1994, Lawrence voters passed a one-percent sales tax to help support a one-time investment in parks and recreation facility expansion, including the creation of Sports Pavilion Lawrence. It was not intended to provide ongoing operational funding for staffing, programming, utilities, or maintenance at our recreation facilities.

The one-percent sales tax funds are collected and directed into the general fund, which supports operations throughout the City of Lawrence, including our Parks, Recreation and Culture, Municipal Services & Operations, Fire Medical and Police departments.

It’s not sustainable to maintain our current recreation facilities and services through taxes alone. Many of the services our Parks, Recreation and Culture department provide — such as parks, trails, playgrounds, and open spaces — are free to the public. These services do not generate revenue, but they still require ongoing maintenance and operating support. The revenue we generate through programs, classes, tournaments, and events helps sustain the broader parks and recreation services that benefit everyone.

We’re exploring fees as a way to diversify and maintain access to current parks and recreation facilities. Implementing fees would be a way for our team to minimize the impact budget cuts would make to recreation facility and park closures. We don’t want closures; we want community use.

We currently offer a scholarship program for community members who are unable to afford fees associated with parks and recreation programming. We’re looking forward to expanding the program and looking at ways to make scholarships easier to access.

We’re prioritizing access for Lawrence neighbors and will propose non-resident fees, which would include anyone living outside Lawrence city limits, for access to our recreation facilities, including Sports Pavilion Lawrence. This will help ensure we can continue to prioritize access for taxpayers.

We’re also exploring options like tournament spectator fees and will continue to work through different scenarios to find the most balanced and sustainable solution to our revenue goals.