The Oliver Parks and Recreation Society is asking the Town for an increase in the budget in order to maintain and enhance current services and programs.
File photo
To meet the growing demand for services, the Oliver Parks and Recreation Society is asking for an 18 per cent increase in its 2016 budget.
That would end up costing Oliver households about $36 more, and Area C households an additional $31 in taxes.
Society chair Shiela Lange and Parks and Recreation Manager Carol Sheridan pitched the proposed budget to Town council members recently.
Lange said there is no more fat left in the budget to trim.
“Our mandate is to continue the current level of programs, and to do that we need this increase,” she stated, noting that council will have to “bite the bullet” if it envisions the same goal.
Lange said 10 per cent of the proposed 18 per cent increase is a one-time expenditure ($140,000) for the much-needed expansion of the weight room. The plan is to add 1,400 square feet to the existing area.
It was noted that approximately $40,000 of the total cost will be drawn from reserves, and the $100,000 will be funded through the proposed tax increase ($20 per household in town and $17 for Area C residents).
It was noted that the 2017 budget will reflect the removal of this one-time (10 per cent) increase in requisition.
Lange said the weight room is currently at capacity, noting that staff have had to restrict membership.
Sheridan said the weight room has more than 400 users (about 60 a day). She added they have lost members because of the space limitations. “It can’t meet the needs of the community any longer.”
Sheridan said the remaining eight per cent of the budget increase breaks down as follows:
Utilities (.75 per cent); labour (a small, three per cent increase in staff wages); operating reserves for the arena and hall (two per cent); administration (grant writer contract and grant-in-aid (under one per cent); and program services (1.4 per cent for special events and program instructor wages).
“We have more fitness classes and more events than ever before,” Sheridan said.
She also pointed out the need for a grant writer (at a cost of $5,000) to take advantage of grant opportunities that the society could be missing out on.
Sheridan noted that the arena and community hall buildings are highly subsidized, and the cost to operate them far outweigh the revenue they generate. She promoted an operating reserve, explaining that current reserves amount to less than $10,000.
Special events, such as the Sunshine Festival, have also prompted an increase in the budget. Sheridan noted that revenues for special events have jumped from $2,000 in 2005 to $15,000 in 2015. Annual program revenue has tripled, from $47,000 to $150,000.
When questioned about user fees, Sheridan said they have to be careful about raising the rates because they will lose business.
Mayor Ron Hovanes said the parks and recreation department is doing great work. Councillor Maureen Doerr said this small town should be proud of its recreational services, noting that council has to “step up to the plate” if it wants to see the services maintained.
Council will consider the society’s request when it resumes budget talks in the new year.
By Lyonel Doherty
