Sandpoint council rejects proposal to waive employee memberships at James E. Russell Sports Center

The Sandpoint City Council on Dec. 4 voted against a proposed resolution that would have waived membership fees at the James E. Russell Sports Center for city employees.

Council members framed the discussion around employee recruitment and retention, program costs and fairness; public commenters and some councilors urged alternatives or narrower approaches. The resolution failed on a roll-call vote after more than an hour of debate and public comment.

Council members and staff opened the discussion with background on the center and earlier council direction. Mayor Jeremy Grama noted the item had been postponed from a prior meeting and that staff had circulated poll results and comparisons to other municipalities. Director Jason Welker presented operational details about the new sports center—membership pricing, proposed hours and early membership uptake—and summarized the employee survey that city staff had returned: 30 responses, most saying they would not use a free membership regularly and that they would not pay…