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Board adopts comprehensive revenue policy with clarified refunds, a higher nonresident surcharge
Summary
The Parks Board approved a revised comprehensive revenue policy that clarifies service classifications, refunds and credits, raises the nonresident surcharge from $20 to $25 per program, and instructs staff to return with more detail on financial-assistance mechanics.
The Waukesha Parks Board voted Nov. 18 to adopt an updated comprehensive revenue policy intended to standardize fee-setting and cost-recovery across park and recreation programs.
Mary Berg summarized the policy, which organizes services into a four-tier pyramid — community benefit, community investment, individual investment and specialized services — and sets target cost-recovery expectations. Berg cited guidance from the National Recreation and Park Association on staff time allocation and proposed administrative surcharges intended to cover indirect costs.
Key operational changes include a clarified refund-and-credit structure: if staff cancel a program, participants will have three days to request a refund or accept an account credit; participants who request a full refund for a program they registered for must do so in writing at least five days before the program begins to receive an unconditional refund; refunds requested after that window may be subject to a $10 service charge, or an account credit that remains valid for two years. Medical exceptions were added: a partial (50%) refund may be issued if the program is less than 50% complete and a medical request is provided. The policy also specifies that pool passes and daily admissions are nonrefundable.
The board reviewed a proposed nonresident surcharge increase from $20 to $25 per program; staff reported the change as part of the department’s financial-management efforts. Berg also noted the policy clarifies partner and affiliate classifications and exempts other City of Waukesha departments from charges when programs are city functions.
Board members discussed the refund mechanics and financial-assistance implementation. Staff offered to bring back a focused discussion on financial assistance at the next meeting to refine how residency-based pricing and advance financial-aid paperwork will be handled. The board then voted to adopt the policy; the motion passed unanimously.
Why it matters: the revenue policy governs how programs are priced, how much of program costs are recovered from fees, and how refunds and credits are handled. Changes to refund windows, service charges and nonresident surcharges can affect program affordability and administrative workload.
What’s next: staff will implement the policy and return with more detail on the financial-assistance process at a future meeting as requested by board members.
