Hilliard council reviews revised membership fees, billing and revenue projections for new recreation center

HILLIARD, Ohio — City staff on Jan. 13 returned to the City Council Committee of the Whole with revised membership and fee proposals for the new recreation facility known as the Well, proposing higher nonresident fees, a monthly billing option for the child “depot” program and updated revenue and debt projections.

City staff said the changes respond to council feedback from a December workshop and aim to set market-competitive rates while preserving favorable pricing for residents. Michelle, a city staff presenter on the Well project, told council the goals were to “establish rates that are comparable to and competitive within the market” and to set resident rates that remain favorable compared with nonresidents.

Staff member Anastasia presented specific adjustments to membership pricing and registration procedures. “We have adjusted that to 100%,” Anastasia said, describing the revised policy of charging nonresidents roughly double resident monthly and annual rates. She also confirmed that “anyone that lives or works within our corporate boundaries receives the resident rate.”

Why it matters: Council approved local funding in Issue 22 that directs a portion of the city’s income tax to a rec and parks fund; staff said revenue from the Well is expected to move the fund toward greater self-sufficiency. Council members pressed on rate levels, senior discounts and the potential local versus nonresident mix because the fund’s net revenue will fund parks capital and ongoing facility maintenance.

What staff proposed

- Rates and nonresident differential: Staff revised earlier recommendations so nonresident rates are approximately 100% higher than resident rates (an increase from the previously proposed 75% gap). Staff said…