The board of the Vashon Park District voted down a proposal last week that would have raised fees for using the island’s athletic fields as well as school gyms, classrooms and meeting rooms.

The proposal, put forward by commissioner Scott Harvey, also called for decreases in fees for using Paradise Ridge and Ober Park. Commissioner Doug Ostrom amended the motion to remove a clause that would have decreased fees at the Vashon Pool after members of the Friends of the Vashon Pool and the pool manager Scott Bonney said they weren’t interested in lower fees there.

Since November, Harvey has been trying to adjust user fees, saying he wants to bring more fairness to what different users pay for park facilities. His first proposal, which he brought forward in December after studying park district numbers and holding a community meeting, would have decreased park district revenue by about $25,000. That motion also failed.

At the Jan. 27 meeting, his newest motion failed 2-3, and members split as they had previously, with Harvey and Ostrom voting yes and commissioners Joe Wald, LuAnn Branch and Bill Ameling voting no.

Branch and Ameling both said they thought changes to the current fee structure were not necessary and noted that users have not asked for fee decreases. At the meeting, Charlie Krimmert, the president of the Vashon Lacrosse Club, also spoke out against the proposal, saying higher fees for using sports fields would be a burden on the club.

At the Jan. 27 meeting, the board also voted unanimously to put the park district’s maintenance and operations levy on the April 28 ballot. The four-year property tax levy, if renewed, would stay at the current rate of 50 cents per $1,000 in assessed value.