Nassau Looks to Raise Field Fees for Private Leagues

Nassau County is looking at raising field fees for privately run, for-profit baseball and softball leagues that use County parks and fields to host their games.

The move would reportedly not affect community little leagues, such as the one run by Jay Moony, president of the North Wantagh-Levittown little league. Moony says that his league spends about $3,000 per season to rent the fields, with any other funds going towards equipment purchases. The county charges $10 per hour for use of an unlit field. "Please do the right thing for the kids," Moony said Monday morning in front of the County Legislature.

Legislative speaker Peter Schmitt (R-Massapequa) said that it was his understanding that the fee would be dropped for little leagues, but it would come up during the budgetary hearings in October, as the Legislature was waiting for an exact fee structure from the office of County Executive Ed Mangano.

Schmitt said that since Mangano has proposed a zero tax increase this year, the difference for maintaining and operating the fields would have to come from a fee increase.

"It's ridiculous," Legislator David Denenberg (D-Merrick) said, referring to the Legislature changing the fees while they were still being voted upon in committee, later adding that the fees would force a burden on residents who wish to use the fields.