LAWRENCE: Ordinance to hike rec program fees

By Lea Kahn, Staff Writer
   Seeking to make the Lawrence Township Recreation Department financially self-sufficient, Township Council has introduced an ordinance that would raise fees by $5 or $10 on most programs.
   A public hearing on the proposed ordinance is set for Township Council’s Dec. 18 meeting, which begins at 6:30 p.m. in the Council Chambers at the Municipal Building.
   The intent of the ordinance is to ease the burden on taxpayers to pay for the operating costs of the Recreation Department, said Municipal Manager Richard Krawczun. The increase in fees will help to offset those costs.
   The Recreation Department offers nearly 50 programs for children and adults, ranging from youth sports clinics and lessons to adult sports leagues. It also coordinates special events, such as the Fourth of July fireworks show, Community Day and the Christmas tree lighting ceremony.
   The Recreation Department’s anticipated budget for 2013 is $501,677, which includes operating expenses — office supplies, equipment and uniforms for sports teams and miscellaneous costs — plus salaries and benefits for the two full-time employees and seasonal employees.
   The fees charged for the Recreation Department programs cover the individual programs’ costs, but not the entire department budget. The increased fees, combined with grants and permits to use township athletic fields and parks, would raise more than $300,000 in net revenue — which means the net cost to operate the department would be $168,533.
   Under the proposed ordinance, it would cost $5 more to enroll in the art/theater half-day summer camp, the winter art program, the summer teen basketball program, before- and after-camp care, half-day sports camps, sports clinics and swim lessons. It would cost $5 more for a non-resident to rent a plot in the Community Garden.
   It would cost $10 more to take part in the art/theater full-day camp, the Safety Town program for young children, daily Teen Travel Camp for residents and non-residents, and volleyball. To rent a plot in the Community Garden would cost $10 more for residents.
   But the fees for other programs would increase by more than $10. It would cost $35 more to enroll in the boys’ lacrosse program, and $15 more to enroll in the full-day summer playgrounds program if enrollees sign up before April 30. A permit to rent one of the athletic fields would cost $15 more.
   Councilwoman Cathleen Lewis and Councilman Greg Puliti pointed out that the ordinance makes provisions for partial scholarships for children whose parents cannot pay the full cost of a program. They will be expected to pay 35 percent or 65 percent of the registration fee.
   ”We are on the lower end (of the scale for Recreation Department fees) of competing towns. Now, we have to get to where the other towns are,” Mr. Puliti said, adding that taxpayers have been subsidizing the Recreation Department programs.
   Mr. Puliti, who is the liaison between Township Council and the Recreation Advisory Committee, said the committee also may look into other methods to raise money to support the Recreation Department.— a concept that is not foreign to township officials. He pointed to the fundraising efforts to pay for the Fourth of July fireworks show, as an example.
   Nevertheless, the proposal to increase fees drew some criticism from audience members.
   Township resident Max Ramos said that raising the Recreation Department fees by 13 percent every year — an option that had been discussed by Township Council last month — means the fees would nearly double in five years.
   ”In my opinion, a fee is a tax,” Mr. Ramos said. “My (overall) property tax bill went up 4.5 percent last year. When you introduce a fee, it’s a hidden tax.”
   Amy Davis, who also lives in Lawrence, said she does not disagree with raising Recreation Department fees, because they are “very modest and in these dire budget times, they should be increased.” She cautioned Township Council against raising the fees by 13 percent annually over the next five years, as the council had discussed as an option.
   ”(It) is not a viable option,” Ms. Davis said. “No one will pay those fees. They will go elsewhere. There are many private programs in the area that will offer more and cost the same, if not less, if you increased the recreation fees dramatically every year. So, you will essentially price yourself out of the market.”
   Ms. Davis suggested holding fundraisers, and to look to other municipal recreation departments to see how they are funded. She also suggested charging senior citizens for programs, noting that “ballroom dancing and canasta are nice, but taxpayers should not be footing the bill when the town has a budget deficit.”