Fee Schedule for Park Use Sent Back to Drawing Board

An ordinance that would impose fees for the use of municipal parkland has been sent back to township officials for additional information and further review.

The ordinance was scheduled to be introduced at the township council’s Aug. 15 meeting, but several council members expressed concern over charging residents to use municipal facilities, so the ordinance was tabled.

Rachel Barrett, assistant superintendent of recreation, told the governing body that the new funds proposed in the ordinance would help take care of some of the costs related to maintaining and sustaining “what we offer in the fields and facilities.” The ordinance, she added, was developed after looking at what other towns are doing, and in conjunction with Green Acres.

Councilman Matthew Moench asked if the funds raised would go into a trust fund or into the general budget.

Township Attorney William Savo indicated that, since the ordinance was reviewed by the Department of Environmental Protection and Green Acres, the fees would have to go for the maintenance of the field. It would be up to the council, he said, to decide what to do with any surplus funds already included in the budget.

Moench also recommended that the ordinance be reviewed by the Recreation Board and discussed with some of the groups that use the fields, such as the baseball or soccer organizations.

“I would hate to see us nickel-and-diming an organization that has done a great deal of good for many years," said council president Howard Norgalis. 

Moench also asked for an estimate on how much revenue would be brought in and how the fee schedule was established.

Councilwoman Christine Henderson Rose noted that she had a philosophical issue with “charging residents to use parkland in a community in which they live and pay taxes.”

“We saw it as a way to help with the budget problem, which continues," said township administrator Robert Bogart.

Bogart compared the issue of charging residents for the use of parkland to the age-old controversy of having senior citizens pay school taxes. He also noted that, included in the initial proposal, was an option for applicants to offset the cost by donating some capital work.

“That recognizes what is being done [as organizations often provide field maintenance and improvements]," he said. "We get a lot of services and work done by volunteers, but we are also spending a lot of money maintaining the fields."

“We have our work cut out," he added. "At some point, we will be going back to the township council."