by Colin Smith
Town Council has taken a further look at fee levels for non-resident use of community facilities including the Morinville Leisure Centre (MLC) and Morinville Community Cultural Centre (MCCC).
At its February 16 Committee of the Whole Meeting Council received a report from Community Services Manager Sharleen Edwards on the result of setting non-resident fees at 25% or 50% higher than resident fees.
Increased fees were included in the Community Services Fee Schedule approved by Council on January 26.
The report presented at the meeting follows on a motion passed by Council last November, “That Administration be directed to bring forward a report in February, 2021, that provides options and a process for non-resident fees to be applied and collected to all applicable Town of Morinville fees and charges.”
In addition to the MLC and MCCC, there have been increases for the use of open spaces and sports fields as well as in planning and economic development fees.
The report indicates that adjusting the fees could affect the Town budget by $4,775 to $5,450, including $3,000 from the MLC, $1,000 from the MCCC, $100 from open spaces and sports fields and $675 to $1,350 from planning and development fees.
August 1, 2021 is the implementation date of the new Community Services Fee Schedule amendments approved in January. The budgetary impact was estimated at $31,800.
Council accepted the Non-Resident Fees report as information.
I hope the owners of McDonalds, Boston Pizza, etc. were consulted as to discouraging people and groups, especially for tournaments, from visiting our town.
I’m wondering how Sturgeon County will feel? Are they not the County that handed over a cheque to help with the new recreational facility, from what I read here, you will charge each of their rate payers 25-50% more to use the facility?
Would you not like to see the facility being used and not empty? Any amount of user fees would be better than none.
Very short sighted for the town. Being a Sturgeon County resident this is quite upsetting.