Commissioners were largely favorable of fee increases for Parks and Recreation programs and services provided by city cemeteries during the Manhattan City Commission’s work session Tuesday.
City staff said that due to increases in expenses they recommend an increase of $5 per recreation program in 2019. They also recommend an increase in waterpark admission fees by $1, or $5 for a season pass.
Expenses for recreation programs have risen by 12 percent over the past 3 years. Revenue from recreation fees for 2018 amounted to $648,761 as of October 31 while expenses for recreation programs for 2018 amounted to $736,615 as of October 31. Revenue from aquatic center fees for 2018 amounted to $423,163 as of October 31 while expenses for aquatic centers for 2018 amounted to $761,733 as of October 31.
The increase in programs fees is estimated to bring in an additional $35,000 in revenue in 2019, and aquatics fee increases would bring in nearly the same amount. Though the increases wouldn’t completely close the gap in the budget, but city staff said it would be a step toward that direction without making programs too cost prohibitive.
Recreation Director Randi Clifford said the increased expenses are in-part due to wage increases in order to stay competitive in the market, looming important equipment upgrades at city pools, as well as an upgrade to CivicRec, a new department management software.
“I think the benefit for this software will be a great improvement as far as being much more user-friendly for our citizens,” said Clifford. “For staff, in terms of their ability to work with the software, I think it’ll be much better, too.”
Parks and Recreation Director Eddie Eastes added that the new software would result in increased charges per money transaction processed through the program by the city, though it wouldn’t be a significant amount and that the exact amount would be dependent on the number of transactions per year.
Commissioner Jerred McKee said he would like to see a breakdown for citizens laying out exactly what each percentage of their program fees go to support. Mayor Pro Tempore Usha Reddi said she wants to ensure the fee increases don’t negatively affect lower income users of programs and waterparks. Clifford said they have a scholarship program that gives financial aid to such residents, and that the Greater Manhattan Community Foundation is in talks to contribute to the fund in 2019.
Clifford also raised the question of whether to define commercial and non-commercial use in city law and charge higher rates for commercial groups looking to rent out city facilities as well as fees for vendors at events. Clifford said they typically don’t rent to commercial ventures, but they have seen an increasing number of requests from such groups.
A proposed definition for commercial use was “any use that produces a profit or a potential profit by a public or private entity and/or a use involving the sale or promotion of goods or services, or conducting business/training for a for-profit organization.” The non-commercial definition Clifford proposed was ” any use that is non-commercial in nature, including but not limited to social uses, government uses, and non-profit uses. A non-commercial use shall not be considered a commercial use solely because it is soliciting funds or support for a non-commercial purpose as part of the event.”
Most commissioner comments focused on including language in the definitions regarding use by political parties and how they would fit into the mix. Commissioner Wynn Butler said it needed to be addressed.
“We had an issue with it with one group — I don’t remember what group it was — but be sure that’s covered,” Butler said. “Because if people want to use the [Manhattan Train Depot] for fundraising for a political party or something then we need to have some rules so we don’t cause a problem.”
Commissioner McKee echoed the sentiment, mentioning that a potential issue could arise if a political group that was also a non-profit attempted to rent out a city facility and they didn’t have any ordinance addressing the situation. Commissioner Linda Morse also expressed a desire to see rules specific to political rentals.
Cemetery Mike Mohler presented on proposed cemetery fee increases for 2019. Staff recommended a fee increase of $50 per service the cemetery charges after they surveyed fees charged by municipal cemeteries across the state. They found Manhattan was on the lower half of the spectrum, and charged half of what Lawrence does. Mohler said the increase would be a step toward getting in-line with fees at comparable Kansas cemeteries and would help cover maintenance costs.
Mohler said he’d like to see a 3 percent annual increase in fees, saying that they can’t just do a big jump as many will choose to use other facilities and they’d lose business. Mayor Mike Dodson agreed, saying he was on board with incremental increases.
Mayor Pro Tempore Usha Reddi she was in favor of the increase this year, but wouldn’t want to see it be increased every year. She encouraged the city to be sensitive to the situation.
“Because what we’re seeing is a very small percentage of the big picture that a family has to pay,” said Reddi. “Some might not have life insurance, and some might have other expenses like medical expenses after someone close to you passes away.”
