Council revises recreational rental rates for minor sports organizations

By Ron Giofu

Town council has revised its rental rates for minor sports organizations.

Council agreed to freeze ice rates at 2022 levels. Office space rental for this year for Skate Amherstburg and the Amherstburg Minor Hockey Association will be $2.60 per square foot.

The administrative recommendation was to increase prime time rentals by two per cent which was a reduction from $205 per hour to $201.96 per hour based on a Jan. 9 motion, and reduce non-prime ice time rentals for local sports organizations from $180 per hour to $110 per hour. The recommendation also called for an $8 surcharge for minor sports groups to be reduced to $7 and to reduce payments for office space to $5.60 per square foot rather than $12 per square foot.

“The local minor sports association prime time ice rental rate in 2022 was $198/hourly. Based on the User Fee Bylaw, ice rental rates should have increased by 6.9% for the upcoming 2023/24 season, increasing the hourly rate from $198 to $209. Recognizing that this would be a huge increase for the Town’s not-for-profit organizations, administration recommended that the prime-time ice rental fee increase hourly by only 3.54% instead of the proposed 6.9%. This recommendation was approved and therefore, the hourly rate for the upcoming season was set at $205.00/hour for minor sport organizations, which includes the Amherstburg Minor Hockey Association and Skate Amherstburg,” manager of recreation services Trese MacNeil said in a report to town council. “In addition, the surcharge that was set at $7/hour in 2022 was also subject to the 6.9% increase ($7/hour surcharge fee x 6.9% =$7.69/hour). As standard practice, any unit price over $5 is rounded up to the nearest dollar which meant the approved surcharge rate for the 2023/24 season that was approved on January 9, 2023 was set at $8/hour.”

The purpose of the surcharge is to go towards capital investment, said MacNeil, saying the purchase of a Zamboni was made through funds collected. MacNeil stated that after concerns were brought forward from the minor sport organizations, and a preliminary review of rates of neighbouring municipalities was conducted, administration determined Amherstburg’s rates, namely for minor sport organizations were higher than most other municipalities in Essex County.

“At the time of the review, not all municipalities had yet received budget and/or Schedule of Fee approval from their respective councils,” said MacNeil. MacNeil also stated in her report the effects of COVID and low enrollment for various sports and recreation activities is “realized significantly across Ontario” and that “administration recognized the need for increased programming at the Libro Centre especially during weekdays or what is referred to as ‘Non-Prime’ time hours as the building is open expending resources staffing and utilities, with customer levels below capacity.”

Councillor Peter Courtney wanted to know if other municipalities charge a surcharge, with MacNeil saying it is tough to answer as not all municipalities don’t report their rates the same. Some municipalities report one figure and don’t include what goes into that calculation.

“We are really high,” said Courtney.

Courtney believed something had to give and that other municipalities are affording such things as Zambonis.

“You don’t want to nickel and dime the residents,” he said, “especially youth sports.”

MacNeil stated administration agrees with that and said it is up to council to dictate how rates flow. She said the user fee bylaw states rates go up by CPI, which came in at a 6.9 per cent rate. She noted, as stated in her report, that was high so they brought it down to 3.54 per cent in January. She added there may be other sports organizations that come forward about rates if ice rates were adjusted.

Courtney floated several ideas with Mayor Michael Prue suggesting during the April 11 meeting the matter be deferred until last Monday so administration could prepare a follow-up report.

Deputy Mayor Chris Gibb asked if other groups could give pushback and look for a discount. MacNeil said she would expect that, including free office space at the Libro Centre.

“We’ve had some requests for additional space for offices or storage at the Libro Centre,” she said, adding they have maxed out space and have had to turn other groups away.