On Tuesday, May 17, 2016 District of Squamish Council approved the amendment to Recreation Services Fees and Charges bylaw.
Effective June 1, 2016 there will be a number of notable changes to fee related items throughout Parks and Recreation Services.
Some Notable Changes:
View specific sections of the amended bylaw:
Recreation Services supports and promotes active lifestyles by building programs, partnerships and places for all that inspire skill development, creativity, leadership and fun. We believe that recreation is a vital public good that is essential to mental, physical, and social well-being and we strive to ensure that all community members have access to affordable, quality recreation and parks services.
The majority of Squamish’s Recreation facilities require significant upgrades and are approaching or are at their user capacity. Our community is expected to continue to grow rapidly in the upcoming 5-10 years especially with many young families moving to Squamish.
To maintain the same level of service, Recreation and Parks revenue must increase to match the increased cost of expenditures such as utilities, increased maintenance cost on older facilities, and increased labour costs.
The current Recreation and Parks fees and charges structure has been in place for over 20 years without a formal review. Historically the District has adjusted fees on an ad hoc basis to reflect current priorities and inflation. The last fee increase of 7% in 2009 was applied to all rentals, admissions and campground fees to adjust fees closer to the cost to provide the service.
A market survey of Lower Mainland and similar communities identified that Squamish Recreation fees are consistently below market range.
In 2013, Council directed staff to implement a Fees and Charges Policy and to develop a Park (Fields) Fee Model for based on the newly developed Fees and Charges Policy.
View the Current Parks and Recreation Fees and Charges Bylaw
View the Draft Bylaw presented to Council in 2014
Squamish’s last fee increase for Recreation and Parks was in 2009. In order to maintain the same level of service due to increasing cost of utilities, and maintenance on the aging infrastructure, Squamish wants to proactively involve the community in discussing options to generate new revenue and implement a fee increase in line with the following Values and Objectives:
Objective 1
Revenue needs to increase in order to maintain the current level of service (without raising taxes disproportionately).
Objective 2
Equity needs to be achieved between what the various user groups pay.
Objective 3
A procedure needs to be developed to deal with the issue of blanket bookings:
Objective 4
Explore new revenue opportunities
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