Playing sports at city-owned sports facilities in the future could come with price increase.

Washington’s recreation fee review committee, having concluded its study of the sport facility and other facility rentals charged by the Recreation Department, recommends returning to a $30 fee per participant (the amount charged prior to the City Council’s approval of the “kids play free” program) as a way of helping offset some of the costs associated with maintaining the sports facilities instead of increasing the use of tax dollars to pay for such costs. The committee also recommends no change in facility rental fees for city residents and nonresidents (who are charged twice the rate paid by city residents).

The City Council is scheduled to discuss the recommendations during its meeting Monday.

Area sports leagues were invited to participate in the committee’s review and subsequent related meetings. All leagues participated, with the exception of basketball and Junior Babe Ruth leagues, according to a memorandum from City Manager Brian Alligood to Mayor Mac Hodges and the council.

“The baseball and softball leagues were OK with the fee, however the soccer league felt it would deter their kids from being able to participate. The football league, which currently operations on its own, attended as well so they would be included and aware of our discussions,” reads the memorandum. “They expressed concerns as well that if they did come under the City facilities, like the other leagues do, that the additional fee would deter their kids from being able to participate as well.”

The leagues have been invited to attend the council’s Monday meeting.

City documents show the city spends a little more than $500,000 a fiscal year on maintenance of its recreation facilities, but the maintenance component of the Recreation Department’s budget produces no revenue. In fact, the city’s recreation budget shows $232,515 in revenues being generated annually with expenses at $1.52 million.

The city has wrestled with recreation-related fees for several years, trying to find a balance between covering the city’s costs to provide and maintain recreation facilities and keeping costs to participate in area sports programs at a minimum.

Former Mayor Archie Jennings said several times during his time in office that the city needs to find a compromise that allows the city to charge fees that helps it recover recreation-related costs without increasing fees to the point where people don’t use the city’s recreational facilities or use similar facilities elsewhere.

In recent years, the issue of reducing or eliminating fees for sports programs, including leagues not controlled by the city, has resulted in differences of opinions among council members and the mayor.
During budget deliberations in 2011, some council members said they had no problems with waiving such fees.
“I don’t think the children should be held hostage … if their parents can’t afford to pay,” Ed Moultrie said in May 2011 when he was on the council.
Other council members expressed concern that eliminating the fees would result in less money to maintain the sports facilities, noting that the city has made other concessions regarding similar fees in the past.
At that meeting, Jennings favored eliminating the fees, saying doing so would result in more children playing organized sports.

The council meets at 5:30 p.m. Monday in the Council Chambers in the Municipal Building, 102 E. Second St. To view the council’s agenda for a specific meeting, visit the city’s web­site at www.washingtonnc.gov, click “Government” then “City Council” heading, then click “Meeting Agendas” on the menu to the right. Then click on the date for the appropriate agenda.