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ENFIELD TOWN COUNCIL
MINUTES OF A SPECIAL MEETING
FEBRUARY 20, 2001
A Special Meeting of the Enfield Town Council was called to order by Chairwoman Strom in the Enfield Room of the Enfield Town Hall, 820 Enfield Street, Enfield, Connecticut on Tuesday, February 20, 2001 at 6:30 p.m.
ROLL-CALL Present were Councilmen Dodd, Egan, Falk, Fiore, Giddings, Kaupin, Mangini, Strom, and Vayda. Councilmen Hall and McGuire were absent. Also present were Assistant Town Manager, Daniel Vindigni; Town Clerk, Suzanne F. Olechnicki; Recreation Supervisor, Mary Keller; Town Attorney, Christopher W. Bromson
DISCUSSION RE: RECREATION FEES
Ms. Keller explained the documentation before the Council includes the programs offered by Parks and Recreation, fees, expenses, overhead, and program descriptions.
Councilman Fiore referred to the Dolphin and U.S. Swim Teams and questioned whether these are fully staffed for the winter of 2000-2001. Ms. Keller responded yes.
Councilman Fiore questioned the number of participants in the swim team this winter, and Ms. Keller responded there are 130 participants on the Dolphin Swim Team and 12 participants for the U.S. Swim Team.
Councilman Fiore referred to swim team figures as of August 23rd as follows:
Dolphins fully staffed 129 participants Town Taxpayer Subsidy - $96.07/participant Total - $12,393
U.S. Team based on 15 participants subsidy of $572/participant Total - $8,580
He stated his belief the swim teams are fine programs, however, he feels these subsidies are high. Ms. Keller stated the Town maintains the facilities for the private associations which are outdoor programs. She noted for the indoor programs, the Town takes care of the basketball and the swimming.
Councilman Fiore stated he does not have a problem with some subsidy, however, he would be much more comfortable with decreasing the subsidy for the swim teams over time, i.e., having the participating families start paying more for these programs.
Councilman Mangini stated there is an indoor recreation subcommittee, and these types of issues will most likely be on one of their agendas, and they will look at fees and structures.
Chairwoman Strom questioned whether the U.S. Swim Team consists of Enfield children, and Mary Keller responded not all of them. Chairwoman Strom stated once the Council gets into the area of creating the fees for residents and non-residents, that will be an area that they will have to look at very closely.
Chairwoman Strom questioned whether Enfields residency policy is similar to other towns. Ms. Keller stated these are things she has come across in her years of working in recreation. She noted normally a resident is someone who lives in that town and/or theyre paying a certain amount of taxes in that town. She noted its up to the Town Council as to what they want to constitute as a resident.
Councilman Falk stated perhaps they should also look at this in a much more broader perspective in that they are a community and these programs were established because it was felt that recreation, both indoor and outdoor, was something that taxpayers wanted and were willing to pay for. He agreed the fee structure should be adjusted for in town vs out of town participants. He stated his hope they can establish a policy thats both fair and equitable.
Councilman Egan stated Enfield bears the full burden for the cost of hockey. She noted in other towns parents are comfortable about sharing this cost since its so exorbitant compared to other sports. She agreed that fee schedules have to be reviewed.
Councilman Giddings questioned how many non-residents are participating in the programs, and Ms. Keller stated that is not known since they currently do not check for residency.
Councilman Dodd stated as far as allowing relatives of residents to participate in programs, they might want to quantify limitations on how far and in what direction the genealogy goes.
Councilman Kaupin referred to leagues such as volleyball, over-thirty basketball, youth basketball, etc. and questioned if expenses are being covered with the fees that are paid. Ms. Keller stated everything in Account 3600 "Program Administration" is primarily fully subsidized; Account 3605 "Youth Center" is 90% subsidized; Account 3625 "Programs" they try to make these a wash, and theyre not looking to make a profit. She added they greatly subsidized the pool.
Ms. Keller stated her impression theres no rhyme or reason as to how much she is supposed to be charging for these activities. She noted there is no fee schedule.
Councilman Kaupin referred to the past history of the swimming program and why its heavily subsidized by the Town. He questioned if theres a past justification for this.
Ms. Keller stated when Green Manor pool was first opened, they used to sell a season pass for the year, and as it went on and became opened to all residents of the Town, it was primarily fully subsidized. She noted the fee was paid as a way of keeping attendance and not to cover the cost of the program. As concerns the Dolphin Swim Team and U.S. Swim Team, she noted those were the fees when she came on board, and no one really knew why that was the fee and why they didnt change.
Councilman Kaupin stated if they are to have a residency policy, it should be clear and simple.
Councilman Vayda stated his belief they should identify a structure or a target subsidy that is evenly applied, rather than having a large subsidy for some sports and none for others. He noted maybe they should define what are and what are not Town functions. He stated he agrees with Councilman Kaupin regarding the residency requirement being clear and straight-forward. He noted he would like to see subsidies looked at more closely to come up with a policy thats more equitable for everyone.
Chairwoman Strom stated they also need to determine what are the normal things that a town offers and fully subsidizes, i.e., the playground programs, the fishing derbies, etc. vs a recreational basketball program.
Councilman Falk stated because residency has not been checked, theres no way to know whether theres any abuse. He suggested perhaps they should first go through a season and start recording some data and the following year theyll have a better handle on what it is theyre dealing with and then they can finalize a structure.
Councilman Giddings stated hes impressed with the variety and scope of the programs in Enfield.
Councilman Egan suggested perhaps they can implement something by budget time. She stated her belief they really need to look at non-residents, and she feels there should be a small fee for non-residents.
Chairwoman Strom stated her belief they should first look at a residency policy.
Mr. Vindigni noted staff will begin drafting a residency policy for Council consideration.
Councilman Fiore stated after the residency policy has been addressed, he would like to discuss subsidies such as those for the swim teams.
Councilman Falk stated his belief they need to take a sensitive approach regarding the subsidy issue.
Ms. Keller stated it would be easier to implement something new in the fall since this would provide time to get the word out, and the summer season is extremely busy.
Councilman Egan agreed they would need time to educate the public about this.
Councilman Dodd questioned the possibility of having something on the residency item within 30 days. Mr. Vindigni indicated they could provide a draft.
There was no Executive Session.
ADJOURNMENT
MOTION #5098 by Councilman Falk, seconded by Councilman Mangini to adjourn.
Upon a SHOW-OF-HANDS vote being taken, the Chair declared MOTION #5098 adopted 9-0-0, and the meeting stood adjourned at 7:25 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Jeannette Lamontagne
Secretary to the Council
By Suzanne F. Olechnicki
Suzanne F. Olechnicki
Town Clerk
Clerk of the Council
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