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City approves an 8% increase across parks and recreation fees; pool rates adjusted but remain subsidized
Summary
After a workshop review, the council adopted a revised parks and recreation fee schedule averaging an 8% increase, citing rising operating costs and the need to cover program direct costs; staff said the pool would still be subsidized and full cost recovery would raise admission far higher.
The Kalispell City Council approved Resolution 62-54 on Monday to revise the parks and recreation reservation and program fee schedules, implementing an average 8% increase across several categories, including pool admission and reservation fees.
Parks and Recreation Director Chad Fincher told the council the department treats each program as an individual business and performs a market and cost analysis before proposing fee changes. Fincher said the department currently tracks about 27,000 participants for its programs (July 1 through current year-to-date) and that raising pool admission to full cost recovery would push the per-person fee to about $17; staff proposed an 8% increase instead to avoid a steep attendance drop.
Staff also restructured park reservation fees to align with the city's online registration software and reduce irregularities; the change affects lengthy single reservations more than typical rentals. Fincher said there was only one reservation last year that would have seen a significant change under the new structure and that most users would have only modest increases.
Councilors generally supported the adjustment as a reasonable step to maintain service levels; several members said they preferred smaller but more frequent increases in future budgets. The resolution passed on a roll-call vote.
