King Township user fee compromise reached at 2.5 to 3 per cent

YorkRegion.com
Oct. 31, 2016
Tim Kelly

A glance through the latest schedule of user fees proposed by the King Township parks and recreation department shows that what Mayor Steve Pellegrini wants, Mayor Steve Pellegrini gets.

As in, His Honour asked parks and rec director Chris Fasciano -- and treasurer Allan Evelyn and chief administrative officer Susan Plamandon too -- to go back and knock the fee increases back to 2.5 to 3 per cent not once, but twice this fall, and the trio have basically complied with his request.

Not every single fee has hit the mark mind you but the vast majority have found found the target, which should put a smile on the face of those who use King's arenas, parks and other facilities.

As for taxpayers, they'll probably face the typical 2-3 per cent annual increase they've become used to over the past few years. A bit more than inflation but not a lot more.

The question that still begs asking, and it was raised by Fasciano, Evelyn and Plamondon, as well as Councillor Bill Cober, is how to deal with the skyrocketing cost of hydro and how it impacts the annual bill to keep the lights on at parks and the arenas open and warm each year.

Those costs easily double, if not triple, that 2.5 to 3 per cent rate. That alone shouldn't account for a total hike of say, seven or eight per cent on a user fee which is what Fasciano first proposed for some ice-rental rate increases, but keeping the lid down to 2.5 per cent is tough.

Does it mean taxpayers have to make up the difference? Is it fair to ask somebody who never uses a facility to help pay for its maintenance and upkeep?

The usual argument is that all taxpayers have to pay for services in the Township, such as fire, sewer, garbage, roads, etc., so why not parks and recreation too? The difference is the former are essential services, the latter non-essential. That's why user fees are imposed on those things we consider non-essential.

But, we want to make sure fees are kept low enough so that those on low incomes can access facilities and programs, thus the delicate balancing act required by councillors and staff.

It seems, in this case, a reasonable compromise has been reached.