HOW WE SEE IT: Fee Increase: Center Still A Steal

Here’s the good news: When it comes to the potential fee increase for members of the Rogers Adult Wellness Center, there’s plenty of wiggle room.

The bad news? Well, it’s not so bad. It’s that members will have to pay more for this outstanding amenity. Everyone hates to pay more. Whether it’s $3 or $4 for a cup o’ joe at Starbucks or $5 or $6 for that Gummy Worm-laden frozen yogurt, we’d all love to spend less for the stuff we.

The thing is, a week’s worth of coffee in that situation is enough to pay for a full year of membership at the wellness center. Does that make sense to anyone?

The Rogers City Council recently recognized just how under-priced membership is. Including capital investments, the annual cost to operate the wellness center is approaching $900,000. For every dollar not raised through membership fees, the taxpayers of Rogers must kick in a dollar until the deficit is erased.

Even more good news for members: Nobody suggests the wellness center should become self-supporting. City leaders so far say they simply want membership fees to offset a reasonable share of the cost of operating the facility.

The center, which is designed for use by anyone older than 50, is expected to operate with a $456,141 deficit if nothing changes. When one considers the annual membership fee is a mere $25, it’s easy to see there’s room for a big change without triggering any revolts.

The City Council demurred when Mayor Greg Hines and his staff laid the issue before them without a fee recommendation. Aldermen told Hines it was his role to make a recommendation, but they offered some guidance. The fee should increase, they said, and there should be a differential between Rogers residents and nonresidents.

Hines and the center’s director will make a recommendation. We agree wholeheartedly with the City Council’s guidance. Given the acceptance the center won’t be a profit-maker, or even a break-even proposition, it’s virtually a guarantee the new rate will continue to be a steal for residents and nonresidents alike.

There’s no doubt every dollar counts for individuals just as much as municipal budgets, but there’s something about maintaining a reasonable investment in a facility and service from which one benefits.

We’re reminded the City Council and Hines have faced criticism for the admission fees for the new Rogers Aquatic Center, which opens Saturday.

Some have complained the daily rates are too high for locals, especially kids or families who want to go frequently.

It will disrespect Rogers’ younger residents to have $12 daily fees for their water-based fun while older residents pay only two times that amount for a yearly membership to the wellness center.

Some residents recently brought their concerns about the water park’s pricing to the City Council and walked away feeling snubbed. Only Hines and Alderman Mark Kruger responded, and they said very little.

This group didn’t deserve to get everything they asked for, but it would have been easy for the City Council to have acknowledged their concerns more clearly and at least talked about their ideas.

What they got was the cold shoulder, and residents appearing before aldermen deserve better even if their proposals can’t be accepted.