Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Senior Services topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Mauldin staff propose $10 monthly fee for nonresident senior-center users; 2,792 active members reported
Summary
Recreation staff told the Recreation Committee the senior center has 2,792 active members, about 755 of whom live outside the city (roughly 27%). Staff proposed a nominal $10 monthly fee for nonresident users as a placeholder in the fee schedule while logistics and residency verification are worked out.
Recreation staff told the city's Recreation Committee that the senior center serves 2,792 active members, including about 755 nonresident users, and proposed considering a modest nonresident fee to help offset rising operating costs.
Recreation director Bart Conlander and staff member Gregory presented the membership figures and implementation questions. "The senior center currently has 2,792 active members and... 755 of those are non-residents," Gregory said, which the committee noted is roughly 27 percent of active users. Staff explained Civic Rec (the registration system) does not reliably differentiate city residents from nonresidents in some ZIP codes and that staff have begun a manual verification process using address checks and GIS mapping.
As an illustrative figure, staff suggested a $10 monthly fee for nonresidents and provided a rough revenue example: if 755 nonresidents paid $10 per month for a year, staff estimated that would generate about $90,000 in gross revenue (staff described this as an approximation). Members discussed offsets such as SilverSneakers reimbursements for fitness-program participants, concerns about seniors on limited incomes and how to handle seasonal "snowbirds" who are absent for months at a time.
Committee members favored further study of residency verification, a possible survey of nonresident attendees to understand why they come to the center, and adding a fee line to the fee schedule in the budget as a placeholder while staff finalize implementation details (including pause/cancellation policies and annual re-verification). Staff emphasized the fee would not be implemented immediately and would return to council for final approval once logistics are resolved.
Public commenter Terry Merritt, who attends the senior center several times weekly, told the committee not to underestimate the social value of exercise and social programs and noted staff are familiar with regular attendees and seasonal users.
No fee was enacted; staff will continue work on residency verification, survey options and a detailed implementation plan before bringing a formal proposal for adoption.
