Cordova residents urge council to drop proposed fees on Little League and swim team

A Little League father and a former swim coach urged the Cordova City Council on Wednesday to drop a proposed 2027 fee on Little League and the Iceworm Swim Team.

At a work session last week, council members backed, without a formal vote, charging nonprofits 25% of the city's facility rental rates, as Alaska News reported Oct. 29. Staff will present the full fee schedule at a Nov. 12 work session, and the city's budget schedule calls for approval Dec. 2.

Neither group has paid a rental fee. In April, the council voted 7-0 to waive Little League's field and snack shack fees for the 2026 season.

A city memo valued Little League's use this year at $6,644 and Iceworm's most recent season at $38,880. At 25%, that comes to $1,661 and $9,720, by this newsroom's math. At last week's session, Council Member Kasey Kinsman called the swim figure "the top end" and said the remaining 75% "would be subsidized by the city. And subsequently the taxpayers of our community."

Sherman Powell, a gillnetter, homeowner and father of two Little League players, disputed the city's number. "The city's assertion that the maintenance and services provided for the Little League equals $6,644 is shocking to me," Powell said.

He said an April 9 budget workshop put labor at more than $4,122 for the season and water and dumpster fees at $1,234, and that the overall cost has since risen more than 18% without a new breakdown.

"I don't believe children's sports should be seen as a revenue source for the city," Powell said. He asked that the Parks and Recreation Commission and the Little League Board weigh in, and said he feared a discount could become "low-hanging fruit" the next time the city faces hard financial decisions.

A former Iceworm swimmer and coach said coaches once worked as trained lifeguards during 6:30 am practices so pool staff did not have to be on duty. He estimated the team's fee at about $10,000 a year and said the team could not pay it.

Pool user Molly Whitcomb wrote the council that any outside group, nonprofit or not, closing the pool during her usual time "should be required to pay for monopolizing those slots."

At a work session before the meeting, Council Member Mike Mickelson asked staff whether the council could later fund requests from the library, Little League or the swim team if the city ends up with more money than expected. Finance staff said a budget amendment could do that.

Council Member Wendy Ranney said it was her understanding that the Parks and Recreation budget presented Wednesday did not include the 25% charge, and that it still appeared to work. She said neither Little League nor the swim team should be charged.