Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Program Fees Policy topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Needham senior committee adopts monthly payment, no-refund policy for programs
Summary
The committee voted to change program payment rules from a two-month upfront requirement to monthly course billing and to institute a no-refund policy except when an instructor cancels a class; staff will notify instructors and implement the change for the fall schedule.
The committee voted to change how participants pay for senior center programs, moving from a two‑month upfront payment model to monthly billing and adopting a no‑refund rule except when an instructor cancels a class.
A committee member proposing the change said the two‑month requirement had led to nonpayment and discouraged participation. The proposer described examples of Zoom participants not paying and said Aisha now withholds the Zoom link for unpaid participants.
"If you haven't paid, you don't get the Zoom link," the proposer said, explaining the manual enforcement step used for virtual classes. Staff said Zoom links are withheld until payment is confirmed, and physical‑class enforcement varies by instructor; fitness‑room staff check daily attendance and retroactively charge participants who pay later.
Latanya, staff member, and other staff discussed the logistical barriers to monthly billing, including the need for town approval to accept credit cards and the limitations of the current My Senior Center software versus the townwide MyRec system. Staff reported they have met with town IT and accounting and plan further meetings to evaluate a secure credit card option.
After discussion, an unidentified committee member moved to adopt a monthly, per‑course billing policy with no refunds unless a class is canceled by the instructor. The motion was seconded, and the committee voted in favor.
Staff said the change will be implemented in the fall catalog cycle and that instructors will be informed of the policy and of procedures for issuing credits when classes are canceled.
The committee also asked staff to explore payment options such as credit‑card processing or mobile payments to ease collection and reduce manual steps for instructors and staff.
