Waking the Sleeping Giant?

ORIGINALLY POSTED Monday, March 5, 2007

The Town's Strategic Plan states we will recover costs by user fees. Private business can be sued for false advertising.

We have a strange way of calculating user fees for recreation facilities. An advisory group of citizens work from a matrix which provides points for various aspects of a sports program.

I do not pretend to understand the formula. I do know that user fees are tricky territory for politicians. Any time you give something away for nothing or less than cost, there's a possibility for popularity - especially if you can do it with only the recipients noticing.

That is the key - you must do it without disturbing the sleeping giant,....the public at large. In general, politicians don't like disturbances. There's no telling what might shake out in an uproar.

But some people just can't let sleeping giants lie. Last term, I moved a motion that a record be prepared to show subsidies provided to all community groups The camera couldn't catch it but I felt the electric thrill of danger that shot around the table. There was no seconder for the motion.

I have this eccentric notion that people who pay for subsidies should at least have the satisfaction of knowing they are doing it and why. People who receive subsidies should be aware of the extent of community support. Everybody needs to understand what's going on, and the logic of it all.

At the moment, user fees are calculated by a citizens' advisory committee with the support of the Leisure Services Director, whose job is not sound management of business affairs. Fiscal management belongs with the Financial Services department.

I am not suggesting we are cooking the books, but in my judgement, the calculation of user fees is bit of hocus pocus.

Accounting is a field in which I’ve not been educated, but I don't have a problem making the connection between the cost of producing something and the price.

The first part of calculating a user fee must be the cost to provide the service. Considering the various uses of the various facilities, I don't believe that's a simple matter.

I certainly don't believe it can be done by a group of citizens, however well-meaning, sitting around a table picking numbers between five and ten, adding up the score and coming up with an average.

If we are not charging what it costs, we shouldn't say we are. If we are charging what it costs, we should be able to prove it.

We are not.