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Hopewell staff weigh sliding-scale memberships and a small rate increase for community center
Summary
City staff presented sliding-scale and modest-price-increase options for memberships at the Hopewell Community Center, noting youth memberships are free and that verifying income for a sliding scale would require added administrative capacity; council asked for financial analysis and will review a formal fee proposal in July.
Stacy Martinez, recreation staff, presented options for a sliding-scale membership program at the Hopewell Community Center and said the center currently charges residents $10 a month and nonresidents $25, with youth memberships free.
Martinez said current membership revenue is roughly $37,000 for the fiscal year as of June 5 (about $28,208 from residents and about $7,822 from nonresidents) and outlined three approaches: a modest resident rate increase (from $10 to $13), a tiered income-based structure modeled on nearby YMCA pricing, or keeping current rates. Martinez said an income‑verified, tiered program would require dedicated staff time and possibly a new customer-service supervisor or manager to handle confidential verification documents such as pay stubs or tax paperwork.
Councilors pressed staff on operational details: how the pool and other amenities would be covered, whether SilverSneakers and Renew members would be accommodated, and how many memberships the center currently tracks (Martinez said monthly memberships number roughly 379 and annuals around 370, with about 500 users when youth are included). Councilor Holloway and others urged a sliding scale targeted to local needs and suggested the finance director and city manager review the options and present a financial analysis.
Martinez also noted barriers to a tiered system, such as stigma that might discourage applicants from providing income documentation, and said staff could instead accept existing proofs (for example, public-housing leases) where policy allows. Council discussed treating recreation operations as an enterprise fund so membership revenue could be reinvested in facility maintenance and small capital projects.
Next steps: Martinez said she will return in July with a formal fee proposal and that staff and council will study whether to phase a rate change and how to structure verification and administrative support.
