The St. Charles City Council will not ask park officials to refrain from charging nonprofit organizations for use of the city's athletic fields.

The Parks and Recreation Board voted last year to charge fees ranging from $10 to $40 to organizations such as American Legion baseball and the St. Charles Junior Baseball and Softball Association, beginning Jan. 1, with the fees to be split between the teams competing against each other.

A resolution urging the parks board to reverse that decision failed Tuesday on a 5-5 vote of the council.

On Wednesday, parks board President T.J. Slattery said the board would discuss the council's decision at a future meeting.

"At the end of the day, there are individuals within the council that don't agree with the fees, but the council as a whole doesn't agree with that stance," Slattery said.

Councilmen Ron Stivison, Ward 9, Dave Beckering, Ward 7, Mike Klinghammer, Ward 8, Jerry Reese, Ward 6 and Thomas Besselman, Ward 2, voted for the resolution. Mary Ann Ohms, Ward 1, Bridget Ohmes, Ward 10, Laurie Feldman, Ward 3, Michael Weller, Ward 5, and Mary West, Ward 4, voted against it.

Beckering, whose ward includes Blanchette Park, was one of the most outspoken council members against the fees. Beckering said the city has never charged nonprofit organizations to use its fields and shouldn't start now because it could keep some children from playing.

"I'm particularly disheartened because (Parks and Recreation) is going to charge the (American Legion) a fee, and 99.9 percent of American Legion kids are city residents," Beckering said. "There may be a pocket or two that live in the county, but they're largely city residents and they've never had to pay one nickel to play American Legion baseball."

Beckering said charging fees would mean the organizations that compete on city fields would have to pass that cost along to the players, some of whom might not be able to afford it.

Beckering had said during the council's Jan. 10 work session that he hoped the parks board would give him some compelling reasons for charging fees, but came up short.

"I even gave them a hint: give me a list of things you are going to do with the money," Beckering said. "Frankly, I was very disappointed. What I got was, 'Our fields are in bad shape, we really need to work on them.' What I was expecting to see was upgraded dugouts, scoreboards. I didn't get any of that."

Park officials plan to apply the revenue from the fees toward maintaining and upgrading athletic fields. Officials expect the fees to generate $65,250 this year.

Beckering said the parks board doesn't need to charge for field usage because the parks department is sitting on $1 million in cash. Feldman, who served as the council liaison to the parks board last year, said Tuesday the board doesn't have that kind of cash laying around.

"They have a fund they use to replace equipment they amortize and that money is allocated, maybe not right this minute," Feldman said. "They are not wasteful with their money. They are probably one of the most fiscally responsible departments in our city. And they do a good job of when something wears out, they have the money to replace it. That's not money laying around."

Slattery said the biggest concern he has heard from the public and the council was about the children who might not be able to pay more to play. Slattery said the board would discuss ways to help those individuals who can't afford the fee.

Reese asked the parks board whether it would consider a tax levy or bond issue to raise extra money.

"I've seen the people in St. Charles rally around programs for our youth," Reese said. "I really hate to see some youth not be able to participate because we're charging. I already pay a tax for those parks. I can't support this."