Park board recommends $5 daily pass at Shelbyville Recreation Center; staff outlines revenue impact

Parks staff told the mayor and city council that the Park Board voted to recommend a change to the Shelbyville Recreation Center's daily-pass fees.

Trevor (recreation staff) said the Park Board met Feb. 3 and voted to eliminate the $3 and $4 daily-pass tiers and institute a flat $5 daily pass. Trevor emphasized the change would not affect memberships or members' benefits; it would apply only to people buying single-day admission.

Trevor presented figures from 2024: daily-pass revenue totaled about $114,000 last year. He said that, based on that activity, a $4 flat fee would have produced roughly $149,000 in annual revenue and a $5 flat fee about $183,000 — an increase of either about $35,000 (if moved to $4) or about $69,000 (if moved to $5) compared with 2024.

Councilmembers discussed equity and access concerns. One councilmember said the increase would likely affect the city's lowest-income residents and asked whether the city has income-based assistance; Trevor said there is no ongoing income-based discount program beyond an annual membership sale that offers 25% off memberships in late December through January. Council members also noted seniors currently have reduced membership rates and that some seniors access the center through Medicare programs such as SilverSneakers, Renew Active, or Silver & Fit.

Council members observed that a yearly membership is financially advantageous compared with repeated daily passes. Some councilmembers expressed support for encouraging memberships but asked staff to consider the equity impact and whether the city should create targeted discounts or other assistance for low-income residents.

Ending

Staff recommended the $5 daily-pass option but was asked to provide additional information on options to mitigate impacts on low-income users and the program's broader operating deficits before council action.