Vernon Matters file photo

By Liam Verster

Recreation Rental Fees

Vernon to implement new levy on recreation rentals to support future facility enhancements

Mar 11, 2025 | 5:01 PM

User groups will have to pay an additional fee to book recreation facilities, fields, courts and other amenities in Vernon.

At the regular meeting Monday, March 10, Vernon City Council received a report from staff, showing that, based off 2023 figures, user groups booking facilities, courts, fields and the pool, were being given support through taxation to lower the rental rates below actual costs.

In some of those cases there was substantial support through taxation, such as subsidies covering 88 per cent of the rental costs for minor sport organizations booking the pool, sport field or outdoor courts. It noted youth and adult organizations also received discounts ranging from 71 to 81 per cent, depending on the type of amenity being booked.

The report noted that facility and amenity enhancements could affect Recreation Services’s costs moving forward, and, in order to maintain those subsidies while also preparing for costs associated with future enhancements, staff recommended implementing a new levy of 2 per cent for local user group bookings and 4 per cent for groups from outside Vernon, which would be used for future enhancements.

“With aging infrastructure, these enhancements are important to keep our facilities vibrant and current to attract and retain users and user groups,” Leah Walker, Vernon’s Manager of Recreation Customer Service, told council Monday.

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“Currently, all user fees go strictly to the operations of the facilities, including long-term maintenance and repair, and not toward facility enhancements.”

Walker went on to say that these fees would be kept in reserves and spent, at council’s discretion, on items such as fencing around playing fields, lighting upgrades, and score clocks for indoor or outdoor facilities.

The staff report did not include data about how many user groups booked recreation amenities, but Walker said, based on 2023 figures, the fees could generate to around $60,000 annually if put in place.

The recommendation to implement the rental booking levy sparked some discussion from council.

Councillor Brian Quiring compared it to an airport improvement fee, as it would be applied to those who use the amenities and not the broader public. Quiring stated he had concerns with the proposal, saying these are community facilities and an enhancement reserve should be funded through increased transfers through taxation, noting it may also be easier to do an annual transfer into a reserve rather than implementing a new fee system.

Peter Weeber, Vernon’s Chief Administrative Officer, then pointed out that recreation rentals were already being subsidized through taxation, and that they were asked to find creative ways to generate new revenues to offset costs to the tax payer in the last budget cycle, and that this was one of the options. Walker added these levies would only apply to rental rates, and would not affect drop-in or program fees.

Councillor Kari Gares acknowledged that user groups may have been struggling with cost escalations and economic uncertainties, but was in favour of the proposed levies and how it would build a new reserve for future enhancements. She noted there was public concern about spending when council approved the new scoreboard for Kal Tire Place, even though that came through a reserve supported by legacy funding. However, she was concerned with charging more to outside user groups as they wouldn’t necessarily have access to the facilities in the future, and instead suggested the levies be equal at 2 per cent for both groups.

Councillor Brian Guy then noted that outside user groups already pay twice as much as those located within Vernon through the tiered rate system, and that a four per cent levy would account for more than double the two per cent on Vernon-based groups through the current rates.

Again Weeber interjected, stating the city wanted to maintain the subsidies but not put any additional pressure on taxpayers.

Councillor Kelly Fehr was in favour of the proposal, stating he did not want to increase the burden on taxpayers and that if communities wanted to see lower recreation rates for their citizens then they could sign a recreation agreement with the City of Vernon and gain access to the lower rates.

Councillor Teresa Durning was in support of the proposed levies, saying it seemed the best way to keep the subsidies in place and ensuring future enhancements are covered without putting the burden on the entire tax base.

After the discussion, Vernon City Council ultimately voted unanimously to draft a bylaw to implement the facility enhancement fee for recreation rental bookings, for future consideration. If approved and adopted, the fees would be put in place effective January 1, 2026.

As part of Monday’s meeting, Council also heard that the city was previously supporting 81 per cent of park costs and 35 per cent of recreation facility costs through taxation, as of the 2023 data.

After receiving the report, Vernon City Council voted unanimously in favour of maintaining that taxation support moving forward.

Council was also presented recommendations to draft a bylaw that would increase the Parks and Recreation fees by 2.5 per cent, starting in 2026 and through to 2028. That increase was based off the CUPE staffing wage increase and the consumer price index, to ensure the recreation facilities could pay staff and maintain employment levels.

A recommendation was also put forward to have the parks and recreation fee and tax support framework reviewed on a three year basis moving forward.

Council voted in favour of both those recommendations as well.

Staff did not provide an update on the two-tier recreation rate system at Monday’s meeting, as it had only been in place for one year and there was not enough data as of yet.