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By SUSAN RIEMER
Staf Writer
At its meeting next week, the Vashon Park District board will vote on a measure that would increase user fees.
Commissioner Scott Harvey, who has repeatedly tried to raise fees for use of the island’s athletic fields and school district facilities, introduced the motion last week. This effort calls for increasing fees by 5 percent retroactive to Jan. 1 and sets up regular increases for the future. Those increases would occur every three years or when the area’s consumer price index increases by a total of 5 percent, whichever comes first.
If approved, his plan, which he expects to bring in $7,000 this year, would include fee hikes at the Vashon Pool, all athletic fields, school district classrooms and gyms and Paradise Ridge park. He said that he feels the increases are important, as the district’s expenses have gone up in recent years.
“This whole situation is a matter of economics. If expenses go up, you have to increase your revenues,” he said.
In December, the board voted down a 4 percent proposed increase, a measure commissioner Doug Ostrom put forth. That board intentionally left it up to this board, with two newly elected members, to set fees for the coming year.
Harvey added his latest effort picks up where Ostrom left off.
“It was important to get this done right away so there will not be any surprises,” he said.
Harvey made the motion at the board’s meeting last week, and afterward he acknowledged that it had not been on the agenda. He had intended for it to be, he said, but it was inadvertently not included. He said he informed Hans Van Dusen, the president of the Vashon Island Soccer Club, after the motion passed, but said he did not reach out to the other user groups.
Some representatives of those groups have expressed frustration about the lack of notice given, including Greg Martin, of the Vashon Lacrosse Club.
“How is this different than the previous board?” Martin said.
Fees for sports teams would go up by 75 cents per player under the new plan.
Martin noted that the club must fundraise to field teams as it is, and a retroactive increase in fees for the club will mean more work in that regard, as the club — with registration already underway — had no opportunity to consider increasing its own fees to meet increased costs.
Jennifer Bonaventura, on the board of Vashon Youth Baseball & Softball, shared a similar view, saying that club, too, has registration already underway and would feel the pinch.
If the district needs to raise fees, she said, she would like to see the district work with the groups affected.
“We should come up with a plan together,” she said.
Park district Executive Director Elaine Ott said that the district has considerable deferred maintenance, and additional funds could be put to good use, but she said did not plan for increased fees in this year’s budget because of community input at a public meeting a little more than a year ago.
“There were very strong voices against raising fees,” she said.
The board will meet next at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 26, at Ober Park.
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