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Rye Brook raises senior-center transportation fee for some trips and directs fees to senior account
Summary
The board approved modifying the village license and fee schedule to add a $2 transportation fee for trips that have another fee associated (museum, theater, boat trips), with trustees asking staff to track revenue and report back
On May 27 the Village of Rye Brook Board of Trustees amended the village license and fee schedule to add a $2 transportation fee for senior-center trips that already have another fee attached (for example, trips with museum or theater admission). The board approved the change after hearing from Senior Center director Liz Rodfeld, who asked that the additional $2 be deposited into the senior account to help cover tolls and transportation costs.
Rodfeld explained the senior-center program runs two types of trips: (1) shopping or luncheon trips where participants pay on-site and the village previously collected a $2 transportation contribution and (2) fee-based trips (museums, Broadway shows, boat tours) where the admission cost is charged separately. The modification will add $2 when another fee is involved; board discussion focused on consistency and on minimizing hardship for seniors on limited incomes.
Trustees discussed making the transportation charge uniform across trip types versus leaving lower charges for certain local excursions. Trustee Crum said he favored consistent charges; Trustee Epstein and others noted hardship concerns for some seniors. Rodfeld said the senior-account vs. general-fund accounting is audited and that the senior program uses its account to pay tolls and similar trip costs. The board approved the resolution and asked staff to monitor revenue and report back during budget discussions.
