Recreation cost recovery and subsidies
Summary
A board member flagged that the recreation utility budget has ballooned from about $60,000 to roughly $250,000 a year, mostly water for parks, and asked for a breakdown by site and utility. Staff said the data is hard to generate and suggested the board may need to ask the City Council for direction.
At a glance
- Total mentions
- 3
- Last 30 days
- 0
Last discussed Jul 23, 2026.
Impact analysis
Utility costs run about $250,000 a year, mostly water at city parks, which affects the rec department's cost-recovery math.
Taxpayers, if the board can clarify which utility costs truly belong to recreation programming.
Mentions & discussions (3)
Recreation Board — July 23, 2026
A council goal directs departments to review low- and no-cost recovery programs. Staff reported the department hit 31% cost recovery last year against a 30% goal; a survey question about which programs deserve taxpayer subsidies was tabled.
Recreation Board — June 25, 2026
A board member flagged that the recreation utility budget has ballooned from about $60,000 to roughly $250,000 a year, mostly water for parks, and asked for a breakdown by site and utility. Staff said the data is hard to generate and suggested the board may need to ask the City Council for direction.
Recreation Board — March 26, 2026
Recreation revenue is running ahead of budget this year, but the board flagged that budgeted revenue falls short of the department's 30% cost-recovery goal on a $1.8 million budget. Staff will get an answer from finance.
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