By Natalie Bazinet
Staff Writer
CARIBOU — All members of the Caribou City Council met with rec department officials and board members yesterday to discuss the possible fees that council is considering implementing for certain recreation department services — a topic that came up during Monday’s city council meeting.
While information about yesterday’s meeting at the rec department was unavailable at time of print, the councilors expressed their opinions regarding the proposed fees during the Monday night’s council meeting.
As the city solidified the maximum amount it could spend on its expense and capital expense budget for 2013 in December, attention now shifts to the revenue side of the ledger in order to have the entire budget finalized by the time they set the tax rate by Sunday, June 30 per the city’s new charter.
City Manager Austin Bleess briefly explained the proposed fee schedule to council.
“The police department and general government have gone through and looked at some various ways that we could raise some fees and permits to generate some more revenue,” he said. “As it’s been discussed, we’ve also looked at recreation department fees for programs where staff is involved.”
Staff-involved programs include activities that involve referees and training instructors, for example.
“We’re not looking at fees for people looking to walk on the track or anything of that nature,” Bleess clarified.
In researching the possible fee increase, city officials looked into the way other municipalities across the state handled their fee/permit structures.
“Every city charges fees for their rec programs,” Bleess said. “Most people cover about 62 percent of their expenses at the rec department with the revenues from department fees and that type of thing.”
For the moment, Caribou’s fee structure covers about 2.5 percent of its expense budget.
“If we increase the fees as proposed here, we’d be sitting at about 5 percent,” Bleess added.
Councilors disagreed on whether or not fees should be implemented for the rec programs.
“I have had people address this very issue about fees for the recreation department; many people think this would actually be a double tax,” Councilor Kenneth Murchison explained, describing how taxes already pay for the rec department and the applied fee would be over and above those taxes.
Councilor David Martin disagreed.
“I think we should have fees. We’re not trying to punish anyone — we’re trying to keep the place open,” Martin explained. He also proposed that a scholarship be established to fund any child that wanted to participate in a program but lacked funds — and stated that he’d be willing to contribute the first $200 to the fund.
“We have to face it,” Martin said. “The rec and the library are going to get cut before police and fire.”
Councilor Joan Theriault stated that she agreed with Martin on the necessity of fees — which is why she felt it was important to attend the Tuesday meeting with rec department officials and board members.
“I do agree [with the fees], but I do want to speak with the rec department and with the board and at least have a conversation with them as to why,” she said.
While the council is looking to possibly add fees for some rec center programs, the council has not voted in favor of closing the city’s outdoor swimming pool as of yet — the possibility of closing the pool has been discussed intermittently since the council started working on the expense budget in the fall.
Council approved the expense and capital expense budget for 2013 in December at $9,307,207 — up $348,383 from the 2012 budget. Setting the expense budget solidified the maximum amount the city could spend, but the council is allowed to lower that amount right up until the tax rate is set on or before June 30, which falls on a Sunday this year.
During the Monday night meeting, council made additional cuts to the expense budget, trimming it down by roughly $200,000.
Additional information about Monday night’s city council meeting will be available in the next issue of the Aroostook Republican.
