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Mosinee board delays approval of rink contract after 34.7% fee increase
Summary
School board postponed a decision after the hockey-club-managed rink proposed raising the district fee from $16.07 to $22.50 per use; trustees asked for negotiation and staged increases before approving a one-year contract.
At a recent Mosinee School District Board of Education meeting, trustees discussed a proposed increase in the rink usage fee the district pays to a local hockey club and decided to postpone approval so district leadership can negotiate further.
Board members said the club notified them that the fee the district pays had risen from $16.07 (the fee in place since the 2016–17 school year) to $22.50, an increase the board described in discussion as about 34.7 percent. Rod (staff member) told the board the club cited rising facility maintenance costs, higher electricity rates and the purchase of a new Zamboni as reasons for the increase. Board members also noted the club had added additional games that increase rink use.
The proposed change prompted repeated questions from trustees about why the fee had not been raised gradually over the past eight or nine years and whether the district had any prior contract that would have locked in the lower rate. Trustees asked whether the school’s athletic director or the superintendent could negotiate with the hockey association to phase the increase in over multiple years rather than implementing the full increase at once. Several trustees said an annual review or a small, predictable annual increase would be preferable for budgeting.
Board members repeatedly clarified that the rink is a city building operated by a separate club and that the district pays the club; the club then pays the facility bills. Trustees also noted the club provides some community open-skate hours under an arrangement with the city.
A motion to accept the one‑year contract as presented (to approve the fee and direct the superintendent to communicate with the club) did not pass; the motion “died without approval.” The board then approved a motion to return the contract to the board next month after district staff hold discussions with the club looking for possible phased increases or other compromise language. The board recorded the second motion as carried; the mover of that second motion is not specified in the transcript and Jessica seconded it.
What happened - Original fee reported: $16.07 (in place since 2016–17). - Proposed fee reported in discussion: $22.50 (about a 34.7% increase). - Justification provided by the club (per staff): facility maintenance, higher electricity costs, purchase of new Zamboni, and more scheduled games. - Board action: initial motion to accept contract failed; subsequent motion to bring the item back next month after staff negotiations passed.
Why it matters The increase affects the district’s cost for varsity and junior varsity hockey time reserved at the rink and has budget implications for athletics and cooperative arrangements with other programs. Trustees said the lack of prior gradual increases limited their ability to plan and requested clearer year‑to‑year communication from the club going forward.
Next steps The board directed district leadership to open discussions with the hockey association and return to the board next month with the results; trustees asked that future increases be negotiated as part of a regular annual review or phased in to reduce budgetary shocks.
