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Park committee hears complaints about Recreation Center rate increases
Summary
Committee members raised concerns about a recent increase in annual membership rates at the Victoria Recreation Center that went into effect Jan. 1; staff said the center is self-sustaining and the change was intended to make operations sustainable.
Committee chair (name not specified) told the City of Victoria Park and Recreation Committee on Jan. 22 that committee members and residents have raised complaints about a recent increase in rates at the Victoria Recreation Center that took effect Jan. 1.
Jenna Smith, a City of Victoria staff presenter, said the changes included a larger adjustment to annual (yearly) discounted rates that had not been updated for some time. "Those heavily discounted annual rates were not something that were sustainable for the facility," Smith said. "The recreation center is a fully self sufficient facility. It is not supported by any tax dollars."
Smith told the committee that monthly rates had been increased in prior years, but annual discounts remained unchanged; the new schedule adjusted annual rates to better align with operating costs. "In order to be able to support the facility, rates needed to be adjusted so that the increases in, like, monthly ... trickled down," Smith said. She added the city researched comparable facilities before setting the new fees and said there is no intention to increase rates again in the near term: "For the record, there is no intention on increasing these rates anytime soon. This was to get us to the point where we needed to be to be able to financially support the facility."
A committee member who raised the issue said some annual plans rose by about 27% starting Jan. 1, and noted that some members had previously been paying the equivalent of $5 to $10 per month, which Smith said would not cover even a single staff hour.
Committee members compared Victoria's new adult annual rate to neighboring cities. Smith said the city's adult annual rate had previously been higher than Chaska and another nearby community; committee members noted Chaska and adjacent jurisdictions recently updated their rates as well.
No formal action was taken by the committee; members asked staff to note public feedback and monitor the effect of the changes. The committee did not request an immediate policy change and directed no formal referral to city council during the meeting.
