‘Pay to Play’ fees approved for recreation programs
Each child to pay $10 per sport
By Lee Raynor
Editor
Posted: 12:18 AM EST Wednesday January 18, 2006
Kids in Kinston who play football, baseball or basketball on city recreation teams will be paying a $10 fee this year.
“If you play, you should pay,” Council member Jimmy Cousins said.
The charge is expected to add between $40,000 and $50,000 to the recreation department’s budget, and will be used to pay part-time staff members, day camp expenses and operate municipal swimming pools for more days this summer.
Every child enrolling in the recreation department’s sports programs will pay the fee, Parks and Recreation Director Bill Ellis said.
But, “We have never turned a child away” who cannot afford the charge, he said. “We’ve got to raise $40,000 or not open the pools during the summer.”
Last year’s basketball program had 1,395 participants and only 250 to 300 children could not afford to buy a jersey. Ellis said the department bought less expensive jerseys this season to keep costs in line, brought in a corporate sponsor, raised the price of jerseys by $2 and young players didn’t know the difference.
The increase will affect only children’s activities. Programs for adults are self-supporting.
Kinston is the last city in the state not to charge program fees, Ellis told council members. Charlotte charges $80 per child; Wilson charges $35, and Greenville charges $65.
“We’ve fought it as long as we can fight it. … This is the most pain-free way we can find to do it,” Ellis said.
Recreation programs attract more users when the economy is bad, he said. When people don’t have the money to afford more expensive programs, such as Dean’s Smith’s basketball camp and horse-back riding camp, they turn to local offerings.
Council member Joe Tyson posed strong objections to charging fees. “What do we pay taxes for?” he asked. “When I pay my taxes to the city, I figure there are certain services I’m going to receive: recreation, safety … Now, you say you got to pay to play. We’re raising everything. People say, why do you pay taxes?”
“Taxes can’t pay for everything,” Cousins said. “People need to pay their way.”
Recreation is for everyone, but it’s also to help keep children off the streets, Council member Van Braxton said. He expressed fear that youngsters who really need to play football, baseball and basketball will not be able to play if the $10 fee is charged.
Ellis said he will find a way to sponsor children who can’t afford to pay. Cousins and Braxton both pledged to pay up to $100 to sponsor 10 children who could not raise the money. Cousins challenged other members to do the same.
An alternative to raising children’s program fees could be increasing the cost to rent picnic shelters and club rooms at city parks. However, even doubling those costs would bring in only about half the amount of money that can be raised through the athletics fees and that would happen only if people continued using the facilities at the same rate they use them now. Ellis said use probably would decline significantly since residents could go instead to places such as Hampton Inn for the same price as the higher city fees.
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