1998 AGN FEB 10 I01 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Here in the City of Colton, economic realities have dealt a strong blow to many city services. Inflation, combined with declining subventions, tax cuts and spending limits, has resulted in austere budgets at all levels. Colton like other cities have markedly fewer budgeted dollars to meet rapidly escalating costs and a steadily increasing demand for services.. Faced with this challenge, staff is constantly attempting to identify areas for economy and potentials for increasing revenues. Putting programs and facilities on a pay-as-you-go basis, where feasible, is one alternative. As a result of many Parks and Recreation Commission meetings regarding this topic, and summarized below, the collection of fees offers many pros and cons. ARGUMENT IN FAVOR: Fees can help the City of Colton: • offset operations and maintenance costs • expand services and facilities • fund specialized leisure opportunities • control facility use • project an image of fiscal responsibility When funding from other sources cannot be increased, fee revenues can enable the City to keep pace with rising operations and maintenance costs. Should funding from other sources decrease, fees provide a minimum revenue base to maintain needed services that otherwise would have to be eliminated or seriously curtailed. When fees keep pace with inflation, fee revenues can , make a greater contribution to the operations and maintenance budget. Fees can help insure that the City of Colton has the capacity to develop new facilities and offer new programs that are responsive to the ever changing needs of the Council 'constituency. All other factors being equal, the case for the expansion of needed services and facilities is enhanced by the ability to pay associated costs and debts through user fees. Fees and charges can be instituted in order to attain other.desirable objectives. In some cases, the revenue producing potential of fees may be secondary to objectives such as: • allocation of demand, particularly where demand exceeds facility capacity • promotion of respect for services, thereby decreasing vandalism • conservation of utilities utilized by participants A.problem often associated with "free" services is abuse of those services and facilities. People are more likely to regard the facility. as belonging to them when they have paid to use it, and tend to treat it as they would treat their own home. In an era of taxpayers' revolt, taxpayers are increasingly insistent that government be frugal Citizens want government to provide services on the most efficient and equitable basis. By way of Council adopting a well -conceived fee policy (R-129.94), Council has projected the image of an agency that manages it revenues and resources well, and provides services on an equitable basis.