At a Dec. 1 meeting of San Jose Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services Department and community youth sports league representatives, parks officials said the city needs to increase the reservation fees from $1.25 an hour to $1.50 an hour beginning July 1. The fee increase is part of a four-year plan that includes an incremental 25-cent increase each year. The bump to $1.50 is the second increase in the four-year plan, which will increase to $2 an hour by 2008.

Park officials say the increase is necessary to recoup costs for the upkeep of fields.

"Our fees don't even come close to what it takes to maintain the fields," senior recreation leader Hal Spangenberger said.

A typical Little League season from April to July would require approximately 2,000 hours, Spangenberger said.

The city receives about $124,000 in revenues from field reservations, but expenses eat up approximately $223,000, which means the city recovers 56 percent of its costs.

"We want to get to 100 percent and not to break the backs of our users," said Andre Morrow, recreation supervisor. "We need to find a happy medium."

In 1991, it cost a quarter an hour to use city fields. The following year, there was a 10-cent increase, and in 1993, the fee was set at $1 an hour, where it stayed until last year. The city pointed out that San Jose charges one of the lowest rates around. East Side Union School District charges $75 an hour, and the city of Gilroy asks for $42 per two hours. On the other hand, San Jose Unified School District sets its fees at $30 per season, and the city of Capitola charges $1 an hour. San Jose parks employees say their counterparts in Capitola are reviewing their fee schedule and also looking to increase what they charge.

League representatives accepted San Jose's increase but asked if part of the increase would mean added improvements on the fields. Terry Thompson, president of the Almaden Valley Youth Soccer League, said the fee increase would be easier to sell to parents, who would be absorbing the expense as part of registration costs, if they knew they were getting something in return.

For example, at T.J. Martin Park, Thompson said, round ditches have developed around the sprinkler heads, wreaking havoc on ankles.

"If a kid falls in there, you get broken bones," she said. "The grass is so tall, you can't see the ditches. It's a snare."

Three years ago, Thompson added, an adult did get a spiral fracture from falling in one of the sprinkler head ditches and required surgery.

Cynthia Bojorquez, assistant to the city manager, couldn't promise that players and coaches would see more manicured fields. The 25-cent fee increase will not bring the department enough to cover all of its costs and provide more funds for the upkeep.

"Added maintenance may not be the case," she said. "But our intent is to maintain quality fields and make them available to the community."

Doug Artman, vice president of the Willow Glen Little League, asked if the city could look into setting a tiered fee schedule, where leagues would pay for fields that offer more amenities, such as the city's eight lighted fields. The lighted fields are maintained on a daily basis, whereas other city fields are serviced less regularly.

"It's not fair to pay the same amount when there are different levels of maintenance," Artman said.

Parks officials said they would look into that suggestion. They plan to bring the fee increase to the city council for approval in May or June.