Trustees direct staff to rework summer camp fees to cover roughly 95% of costs and return in the fall

After an extended discussion Feb. 11, the Rye Brook Board of Trustees instructed staff to rework proposed fee changes for the 2025 summer day and travel camps to target roughly 95% coverage of last year’s costs and to present options at a future meeting.

Why it matters: Trustees debated how much of the camp program’s cost the village should subsidize. Staff and a volunteer subcommittee offered differing proposals: the subcommittee recommended modest percentage increases (about 5% for day camp and 10% for travel) along with a standardized additional-child discount; staff prepared a structured fee approach that would cover a larger share of costs (staff noted recommendations that would move coverage toward about 95%). One trustee urged larger increases to reflect rising bus and admission costs; others stressed keeping camps broadly affordable.

Key points from the meeting: Staff and Trustee Shasti Epstein presented analyses showing bus costs and trip admissions have risen substantially in recent years (staff cited bus cost line items year-by-year: 2021 $11,006.50; 2022 $40,950; 2023 $46,875; 2024 $70,125). Staff said last year’s shortfalls would shrink under the subcommittee’s recommendation from roughly covering 84%–90% up to about 90.5% for day camp, and from about 78% up to the mid-80s for travel camp; staff’s alternative moved those coverage rates closer to 95%.

During discussion trustees identified several levers to reduce the village’s subsidy: raising fees, reducing or eliminating the second-child discount for day camp, changing trip frequency or destinations for travel camp to reduce bus expenses, and using existing village shuttle resources on select days to lower bus rental costs. Trustees agreed there are many unknowns (notably final 2025 bus bids and trip admission fees) and that fee-setting uses last year’s enrollments and expenses as the baseline.

Board direction: Trustees asked staff to rework the fee schedule to target approximately 95% coverage of last year’s costs and to return with options, including scenarios that (a) reduce the second-child discount, (b) alter trip frequency or destinations to lower bus costs, and (c) lay out the projected shortfall under each option. Several trustees also suggested establishing a recurring policy to review camp fees annually so adjustments can be made before early-bird registration in future years.

No final fees were adopted at the Feb. 11 meeting; staff will present revised proposals for board consideration at a future meeting, with a plan to revisit the numbers in the fall and adopt final rates in time for next year’s budget and registration cycle.