[From my December 24 column in the Colchester Bulletin]
As the town continues to tighten its financial belt, more and more focus is placed on user fees. Essentially, the theory is that rather than taxing an entire population for particular services, those costs should be borne by the people who will actually make use of them. Within the Parks & Recreation Department, we employ both models, as appropriate.
For all intents and purposes, the “parks” half of our department provides services that are enjoyed by the entire town in some form or another. From clearing sidewalks and parking lots of snow in the winter; to maintaining school grounds; to ensuring the safety of playgrounds and sports fields; to emptying trash receptacles throughout town; to preserving walking and biking trails, the tireless work of our parks maintenance crew is appreciated by the entire community. They work to beautify the town for its residents and visitors alike, raising the general quality of life and contributing to its desirability as a destination for new families and businesses.
For these reasons, the parks division is funded through the town’s general fund: the budget that is voted upon by the citizens and paid through local property taxes. This is an extremely lean operation, with only seven full-time crew members maintaining the nearly 400 acres of managed grounds, along with the numerous natural parks and areas throughout the town.
[More:]
Yet, there is also some revenue that is generated for the general fund through park usage. Special event and facility reservation permits are issued when individuals and organizations make use of town parks and facilities. While a few hundred dollars come in each year for family picnics and parties at the Recplex Pavilion, the vast majority of the revenue is generated by fees for usage of the sports lighting. Each year, local sports leagues pay approximately $15,000 in fees for use of the lights on the four lit fields. The light fees actually recoup 180% of the actual cost of the electricity, helping to offset the various costs associated with providing the department’s many services.
Conversely, the recreation division is almost entirely funded through user fees, realized as registration costs for our multitude of programs and services. These fees are supplemented with donations and sponsorships, allowing our department to produce some of the community’s favorite free events, including the 57 Fest, summer concerts and movies on the green, Hershey’s track & field, Holiday Homecoming, Trick or Trunk and more. Over the past three years, our department has partnered with many local businesses and organizations, generating over $100,000 in sponsorship for public events and activities. Needless to say, without their support, many if not most of these events would not have occurred.
As the town’s budget has continued to tighten, the recreation division’s “program fund” is being asked to take on more of the burden of the indirect costs of providing these services. In the current year, the fund has been tasked with carrying the costs of our full-time Recreation Supervisor, along with noticeable increases in requests for financial assistance.
As we work to absorb these significant costs, we must be creative in our efforts to balance the fund’s budget. Passing along tens of thousands of dollars in costs as direct increases to our registration fees could have a negative impact on registration, particularly in this difficult economy where people are already making sacrifices in how they spend their precious discretionary dollars.
While there will surely be some fee increases as we budget and plan for the next year’s slate of programs, we will continue to brainstorm new and creative ways to fund the essential services provided by our department. As always, we welcome suggestions from the community, and look forward to maintaining the high level of service for which we have come to be known.
XML Feeds 
