The Carroll City Council approved the first reading of an ordinance amendment during last (Monday) night’s meeting adjusting fees at the Carroll Recreation Center. Parks and Recreation Director Chad Tiemeyer says he and the Parks & Rec Board have spent the last few months researching what other facilities charge.
Tiemeyer says they looked at more than a dozen YMCAs and recreation centers and found most of them did not charge for fitness classes and incorporated the associated cost with membership fees. He says the price for individual classes had gotten so high that it discouraged people from participating.
Additionally, punch cards for fitness classes are ending, as buying a membership under the new fee schedule would be more cost-effective. The Parks & Rec Board is proposing an approximately 12-percent increase to annual family memberships for Carroll residents, rising from $509 to $570, while non-Carroll residents would see about a 16-percent increase, from $535 per year to $620. Monthly membership would increase by the same percentage. Ward 3 Councilman Kyle Bauer noted the only part of the schedule that isn’t changing is daily admission rates and questioned the reasoning.
Tiemeyer adds that the Parks & Rec Board will review fee structures annually moving forward to better keep up with expenses associated with the Rec. The council voted unanimously to approve the ordinance’s first reading. The required second and third readings will be presented at upcoming Carroll City Council meetings for final adoption. If approved, rate changes would go into effect on July 1, 2025.
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