When fans turn out for Friday night football in the county, they expect to pay an entrance fee and for concessions but not necessarily to park.

That’s one of the reasons parking fees are a scheduled topic of discussion for the Sept. 26 meeting of the Limestone County Board of Education.

The current school board policy regarding parking fees states that if the game is between two Limestone County schools, no parking fee can be charged. However, if the school is hosting a game with a school outside the county, a fee of $3-$5 can be collected.

Currently, there is inconsistency between the six county high schools. Some have not been charging a fee at any of their games. The parking fees themselves vary as well.

“The schools are seeking guidance from the school board to set a policy for parking fees that they can all follow,” Rusty Bates, direct of transportation, safety and athletics at Limestone County Schools, said. “The board’s part in this will be to provide the framework and an updated policy, so we can be consistent at all of our schools.”

The school board will also evaluate if parking fees should be charged at other events.

According to Bates, the pay-to-park issue originated with parents who complained that other schools were making money off of parking while their own schools were missing out on revenue.

“We are one of the only school systems in the state that were not charging for parking consistently,” Bates said.

“The revenue is handled differently by each school,” he added. “That is one of the things that will be discussed at the school board meeting.”

At the moment, the schools get to decide who benefits from the parking lot fees, based on which organization can provide the volunteers to man the parking lots during games.

At Ardmore High School, the marching band will benefit. Elkmont High School has chosen to pass the money to the football booster club. Both of these schools are charging for parking for the first time this year.

Elkmont High School Principal Bill Tribble said they made $900 at their home game against Colbert County High School.

“That right there reconditions our football helmets for a year,” he said.

Ardmore will host their first game against an out-of-county school on Sept. 22, and AHS Principal Glenn Bryant expects they will generate somewhere between $1,000-$1,500 that night.

Bryant said they could raise up to $6,000 for the fall season.

“I would love for us not to need money, but unfortunately the demands are greater than the supply when it comes to our marching band,” Bryant said. “On average, our band costs about $40,000 per year, and even though they do a great job of earning their own money, they need this extra support.”

Both principals have fielded some complaints about the new fees from parents, but they report that the majority support paying to park.

“Obviously, I know no one likes to pay more, but I do think our parents understand the cost of living and everything is rising, and we need to balance that out so we can provide a first class experience for our kids,” Tribble said. “It has come down to either we charge to park or we fundraise our community to death.”