The Lester Buresh Family Community Wellness Center is proposing an increase in rates, beginning July 1.
Parks and recreation director Matt Siders said it equates to roughly a 7 percent increase for the rates for the center in the monthly, annual and three month rates.
Rental rates for the facility are slated to increase by 10 percent on average.
“We’ve had plenty of people who, when they look at renting out the full facility, they find that rate is completely affordable,” Siders said.
City administrator Chris Nosbisch said that the center originally opened during the COVID-19 pandemic, which skewed any plans for hiking rates on an annual or even two year basis, but as costs have increased, this has definitely been needed.
“This doesn’t get us fully where we want our rates to be, but it gets us closer and avoids massive raises to them,” Nosbisch said.
Nosbisch commended Siders and staff for doing what they can to keep staffing where it’s needed and control what they can in the budget.
Siders said that the communication will go out to members about the proposed rate hikes in the next few weeks and any renewals can line up at this year’s rate for one more year.
There was discussion on a more streamlined process for allowing auto renewals to the LBC. That is being investigated by city attorneys.
Council member Debra Herrmann recommended striking any language that shows the price of rates proposed with sales tax included, as that is not a good business practice.
“The base rate is what we are raising,” Herrmann said. “That’s the rate we control. We can’t dictate what the sales tax people are paying. The sales tax is the sales tax, we can’t control what the taxing entity will be. It introduces a risk that the city should not want to take.”
Herrmann agreed that it was time for rates to increase at the center.
LBC rates slated for increase
May 11, 2023
About the Contributor
Nathan Countryman, Editor
Nathan Countryman is the Editor of the Mount Vernon-Lisbon Sun.