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City approves leisure services rate increases

It will cost a little more to use recreation and leisure facilities in Estevan over the next three years. Estevan city council approved sweeping rate increases during Monday night’s meeting.
Nathan Jesse
Leisure Services manager Nathan Jesse explained the rate increases for local facilities during Monday night’s city council meeting.

It will cost a little more to use recreation and leisure facilities in Estevan over the next three years.

Estevan city council approved sweeping rate increases during Monday night’s meeting. Virtually all of the user rates will increase by three per cent each year for the next three years.

“We did our market research with comparable communities, and … we’ve done our heavy lifting with fee increases over the last three years,” leisure services manager Nathan Jesse told the Mercury. “We feel we’ve plateaued on most of our fees, and the three per cent will mirror lots of our staffing increases, as far as wages and the cost of doing business.”

Fees now compare favourably with communities like Weyburn, Yorkton and Swift Current.

Traditionally the city has reviewed rates for facility rentals, user fees and more on an annual basis. Jesse said it’s a lengthy, time-consuming process for staff and the advisory board, and he believes it’s better to review the fees every few years. 

If leisure services or city council feels the need to review a rate next year due to a dramatic change in costs, then they can, he said.

“If you do the three-year plan, then you can have more consistency in your event planning, and in your future plans as well,” said Jesse. 

The three per cent increase will impact almost everything: arena ice rentals during the season; dry floor rentals during the off-season; swimming and lifeguard lessons; and pool rentals. It will also cost more to use sports fields during the spring and summer months, which means higher fees for soccer, softball, baseball and slo-pitch organizations.

There will also be an increased cost for private commercial groups, non-profit organizations and sports organizations to rent Affinity Place, the Civic Auditorium, the Lignite Miner Centre and the Power Dodge Curling Centre for their events. 

There are a few exceptions for the rate increases. The first is with summer ice rental. Last year council approved a phased-in rate increase over two years that caused the rate to jump from $175 per hour in 2013-14 to $205 per hour in 2014-15. It will climb to $240 an hour in 2016. 

Summer ice rentals will then increase by three per cent in each of 2017 and 2018. 

Also, many of the facility admission fees at the Estevan Leisure Centre will not be increasing in 2016, Jesse said. The cost of facility passes for children, adults, seniors and families; master facility passes; and spin classes will remain unchanged.

“For example, our adult one-month facility pass is $55, and comparing that to other communities, that’s fairly high for the services we provide,” said Jesse.

Those fees will be reviewed again next fall, and could be subject to the three per cent increase in 2017 and 2018.

Members of council supported the three-year fee structure, and viewed it as superior to an annual rate review. And while they had concerns with some of the individual rates, including the cost of renting Affinity Place during the two months when ice isn’t installed, they still approved the rate hikes.

Most of the changes take effect on Jan. 1, 2016. Traditionally fee increases took effect on Oct. 1 of each year, but pushing it back to the start of the new year means the fee increases align with the start of the city’s fiscal year, which Jesse believes will help with budgets.

Also, pool and ice fee increases will take effect on April 1, 2016, so the fee change won’t occur in the middle of an athletic season.