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Council adopts FY 2026–27 fee schedule; agrees to reconsider senior-center bingo fee
Summary
The council adopted the city's FY 2026'1027 fee schedule, estimated to raise about $874,000, and asked staff to provide an informational memo and potential waiver for the senior-center bingo permit after sustained public comment urging relief for older residents.
The Certino City Council adopted its Fiscal Year 2026–27 fee schedules A through D on April 21 after a lengthy public hearing and council discussion, and it agreed to return the senior-center bingo permit fee for further review and possible waiver.
Acting Administrative Services Director Jonathan Arosco presented the annual update and estimated additional revenue of approximately $874,000, largely in the general fund. The update applies standard inflationary adjustments, phased-in increases for some building fees and a methodology aligned with the city's user fee cost-recovery policy adopted in prior years.
Several council members and members of the public focused on the proposed change to the bingo-permit fee, which staff described as a move toward full cost recovery for permit processing. Speakers from the Senior Center and the Senior Center Advisory Council said bingo provides a critical social function for older residents and called the proposed per-year permit cost—staff described the fully recovered fee as higher than historically subsidized rates—burdensome. "Bingo is their incentive to interact with other seniors," said Heather Dean, a long-time bingo caller, urging a reduced fee so the program can continue.
Staff explained the city's role: two organizations (St. Joseph's and the Senior Coordinating Council) hold annual permits and the city processes those permits; the city previously subsidized the program through waived facility rental and equipment purchases but has not run the program directly in recent years. Arosco said some fees were phased in over multiple years to avoid a single large increase; other fees were set after cost studies.
Council requested an informational memo with clear before-and-after cost-recovery percentages, program revenue/payout context, and documentation of what the city subsidizes (room rental, equipment) so council can consider targeted waivers. The council vote to adopt the fee schedules carried unanimously. Members signaled openness to a future consent-item waiver if the memo shows the senior program cannot sustain the full fee.
Council also discussed farmers- and flea-market fees (low or rarely collected) and the broader resident/nonresident fee structure, asking staff for follow-up information and an online summary of which fees the city currently subsidizes.
