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Sandpoint council continues public hearing on proposed corporate pass for James E. Russell Sports Center
Summary
City staff proposed a $1,500 corporate pass for four employees (add'l $300 each) at the JER Sports Center to boost membership and revenue; council continued the public hearing to a January meeting after questions about equity, access and short notice to the public.
City planning staff asked the Sandpoint City Council on Wednesday to add a corporate membership to the James E. Russell (JER) Sports Center fee schedule that would allow employers to buy annual passes for employees.
Jason Welker, Planning and Community Development director, described the proposed $1,500 corporate pass that covers four designated employees, with additional employees available at $300 each and a limit of eight concurrent users per pass. Staff said the pass is intended to bring in workers who commute from outside Bonner County and who currently find annual dues too expensive; staff projected the pass could help grow paid membership toward the JER’s breakeven target of about 300 full members.
Councilors raised several concerns during the public hearing: equity for existing members who pay resident or county rates, the possibility of membership “cannibalization” (members shifting to employer‑sponsored passes), verification of employee status, and the short notice given to the public about the change. Welker said staff had modeled the pass to avoid domination of court time (limits on simultaneous users) and to offer discounted guest rates for corporate events. He also said the city could modify or terminate the program if it produced undesirable outcomes.
No members of the public signed up to testify at the hearing. Councilman Kyle Schreiber moved to continue the public hearing to the council’s second meeting in January to allow more time for public input; the motion passed on roll call (Duquette, Howarth, Ruhl and Scharber voting yes; Spiro voting no).
Next steps: Staff will invite local employers who expressed interest to the continued hearing and provide more public notice so users of the JER facility can comment before the council votes on an amendment to the fee schedule.
