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District of Kitimat halt leisure fee increases until the fall

The Leisure Services Advisory Commission recommended no increase take place at this time
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No increase in fees will be made by the leisure services department in the summer months. Reviews will be made again in May/June for any recommended fee adjustments in the fall. (District of Kitimat photo)

Council approved a no fee increase for the leisure services department throughout the summer months.

As discussed in council’s special meeting last month, the leisure service advisory committee was directed by the council to hold any fee increases and review again in May/June for any recommended fee adjustments in the fall.

“After two lengthy discussions [in January] the leisure service commission felt it was important to maintain the status quo with a lease until September 2021. Although there is a feeling that fees and charges needed to increase this year, we felt it was important not to increase fees at this time during the covid pandemic,” Martin Gould, Director of leisure services said in a recommendation to the council about halting leisure fee increases until September. “Likely there would’ve been multiple changes this year and the [leisure service commission] felt that fees and charges would be important to only change once.”

Closely monitoring room bookings, programming and the public’s consideration of risk management practices that are put in place, the administration is still unsure how COVID-19 will ultimately affect revenues.

Recognizing that there will be a challenge to get people back to leisure service programs, the department hopes for an increase in the public’s usage of the facilities in the coming months.

“will have to look at it again in the fall for cost recovery purposes. […] But I think it’s great that we support this recommendation that there is no fee increase at this time and hopefully by the end of summer [the leisure service department] will be looking a lot better and then we can reevaluate,” Said councillor Marleau.

Trying to get members to benefit from leisure services, discount books and contests for the community were discussed as some strategy methods to entice the community back into the facilities.

READ MORE: Good News, Kitimat!


 


jacob.lubberts@northernsentinel.com