CARROLL
VALLEY BOROUGH, Pa. - The weather was cold and snowy outside
for the Feb. 13 borough council meeting, but inside the issue
of a user fee for Carroll Valley’s athletics programs
was hotly debated. The 2007 budget calls for an annual $10
fee for every participant in Carroll Valley’s softball,
soccer, and football programs.
The
council was discussing lowering that fee to $5 for Carroll
Valley residents. Representatives of the athletic programs
objected to any fee, saying the additional cost was not
justified based on the services the borough provides for
the programs. Representing the girls’ softball program,
Carroll Valley resident Ron McClain objected to what he
called a “head tax” which would increase softball’s
registration fee by up to 40 percent.
Representing
American Youth Soccer Organization, Carroll Valley resident
Carol Herl also objected to the new fees. The athletic programs
are run through the hard work of “some good people
trying to keep kids off the streets and giving them a place
to play. These fees are taking the wind out of our programs,”
Herl said. She too objected to paying fees do not correlate
with services the borough provides. Other than grass cutting,
which the borough would do in any case, the athletic organizations
are self-maintained. Herl said she couldn’t count
the number of times she has reseeded and rolled the soccer
fields.
Regional
Athletic Commissioner and Carroll Valley resident Jason
Hoffman also objected to the new fees, saying, “We
are not opposed to paying something that’s reasonable,
but to impose a fee per child is morally wrong.”
Borough
Manager David Hazlett explained that a per-child fee was
an effort to spread the cost equitably among the sports,
which range from 30 to more than 200 participants.
Citing
the fact that the borough has not raised taxes in 10 years,
Borough Council President Thomas Wolf said that while he
was sympathetic to residents’ opinions, the borough
had to find other revenue sources in the face of increasing
expenses. “We have to charge something,” he
said.
Sympathetic
to the plight of the athletic organizers, who only became
aware of the new fees about a month ago (after their program
fees were already set), Councilman Daniel Patton moved to
waive the user fee for 2007 and negotiate one for the coming
years, allowing the organizers time to plan for these costs.
Wolf did not ask for an immediate second to the motion and
the ensuing discussion brought forth another motion before
Patton’s could be seconded.
The
new motion, made by Councilman Thomas Fitzsimmons, proposed
waiving the user fee temporarily until the athletic organizers
and Hazlett could negotiate a mutually acceptable agreement.
Fitzsimmons and Patton voted in favor; Wolf and Councilman
John Van Volkenburgh were opposed. Mayor Ron Harris broke
the tie, siding with Wolf and Volkenburgh.
After
the motion was defeated, Mayor Harris suggested the user
fee be temporarily waived until all parties could reach
an agreeable compromise. McClain asked, “Wasn’t
that the motion you just killed?”
Harris
responded, “No, it wasn’t,” while Fitzsimmons,
who made the motion, nodded and said, “That’s
exactly what it was.”
Debate
continued and finally a motion was approved to lower the
user fee for Carroll Valley residents to $5, keeping the
non-resident fee at $10, with the understanding that Hazlett
and the athletic organizers would try to work out a more
agreeable compromise. Before the vote, McClain told the
council, “You’re going to lose us if you pass
this,” alluding to a potential move of his teams to
Fairfield where there is no surcharge.
Patton
responded, “I want you to know that I seconded this
motion not because I support it, but because it is the lesser
of the evils.” The motion passed unanimously.
After
the meeting adjourned, McClain confirmed that his teams
would play in Fairfield this summer, which is too bad, he
said, because “Carroll Valley’s field is the
best in the county.”
