After three years developing a field fee policy, municipal staff is back at the starting line.
In 2011, District of Squamish staff was instructed to come up with a new recreation fees and charges policy. Throughout the process municipal fields have been a sticking point. The last time the municipality increased its user rates on the fields was 2003.
Squamish Youth Soccer (SYS) currently dishes out $10.65 per participant per year — $10,650 for the league. The proposed change presented at Committee of the Whole on Tuesday (May 13), would bump the rate up $7.64, to $18.29 per participant; an additional $7,640 for the league each year.
Squamish Men’s and Women’s Soccer (SMWS) rates would see a $2.92 increase per player per year, from $17.85 to $23.57. And Howe Sound Minor Ball would experience a jump of $9.26 per person per year.
The Squamish Slo-Pitch Association (SSPA) would be left with money in its pockets, with its rates dropping .75 cents per player.
While council passed some of the amendments, such as allowing local non-profit groups use O’Siyam Pavilion for free, officials couldn’t agree on the field fee rates.
There are two ways to generate money — taxes and user fees, Coun. Patricia Heintzman said. Municipalities are having to rely on user fees a lot more in recent years, as Ottawa and Victoria download more responsibilities onto local governments, she said. Recreation costs will always be subsidized, but Squamish has some of the lowest user rates in the province, Heintzman noted.
“We are behind the times in terms of user fees,” she said. “It is not popular, but it is a model we have to start getting into.”
The new policy aims to make Squamish’s recreation fees fair across the board, Coun. Coun. Doug Race said referring to ice users high rates. User groups can apply to the district for community grants to assist families that can’t afford the additional cost, he noted.
The amount of additional fees collected under the proposed policy are minimal, Coun. Susan Chapelle said. She couldn’t justify running the risk of leaving kids on the sideline for the sake of such a small amount of money. Charging youths for sports is inconsistent with other district’s policies, Chapelle added.
The district spends four times the amount that is proposed to be collected from user groups on field maintenance, said Joanne Greenlees, the district’s general manager of financial services. While the pool and recreation centre currently generates enough money to cover 25 per cent of its operating costs, field user fees only produce 3 per cent.
Council voted twice on the field user fees. Both times the amendment failed in a split vote with councillors Bryan Raiser, Ted Prior and Chapelle against and Mayor Rob Kirkham, Race and Heinztman for the policy. Coun. Ron Sander was absent. Council instructed staff to have another kick at the can.
