AGENDA #2c
BUDGET WORKING PAPER
TO: W. Calvin Horton, Town Manager
FROM: Kathryn Spatz, Parks and Recreation Director
SUBJECT: User Fee Policy Concerning Full Waivers for Summer Camp Participants
DATE: April 3, 2002
This is in response to a [BWaR1][BWaR2]Council member’s question concerning the policy for granting full fee waivers for summer camp participants.
Prior to FY 1999 – 2000 the Town provided full fee waivers for low income recreation program participants. The Parks and Recreation Commission and staff had two primary concerns with the old fee waiver system:
· There appeared to be a lack of sense of ownership of the program among participants who received fee waivers. Participants with fee waivers often did not attend the program but held a spot so that others could not participate.
As part of the FY 1999-2000 budget process, the Council adopted a change in the Parks and Recreation Department’s User Fee Policy that authorized the staff to pursue fee reductions instead of the traditional fee waivers. The adopted User Fee Policy contains a policy for fee reduction and time payments for departmental fee programs.
All Town of Chapel Hill and Orange County residents may request a reduction in program fees when a need exists. These requests must be made in writing on an official “Request for Fee Reduction” form and are evaluated based on overall household income and size relative to the Financial Assistance Eligibility Scale (please see attached). This option does not exist for non-County residents. A family whose income is below the threshold will be charged the appropriate percentage of the established fee (including all applicable activity fees). In unusual situations, the Director of Parks and Recreation may factor in major illnesses or unusual family circumstances and waive the entire user fee.
Since the change from fee waivers to fee reductions, the Parks and Recreation Department has attempted to implement the policy in a fair and efficient manner while ensuring that all interested citizens could participate, regardless of economic status. The first summer, staff developed fee payment plans for all participants which allowed families to pay for summer camps over several months. This quickly proved to be an administrative burden, taking concerted staff time and effort. Last summer, we slightly altered the registration process, requesting that a minimum payment be made at the time of registration. This was done in an effort to streamline registration and fee collection. When policy or procedural changes have been made, the staff has distributed appropriate information concerning procedural changes to all program participants.
We believe that it is appropriate for each participant to pay at least a portion of any program cost. However, over the last 2 years, the Parks and Recreation Department staff has encountered instances in which some youth truly would not be able to participate in the summer camp program unless the program user fee was waived in full. Some parents/guardians ignored the registration process and dropped their unregistered children at our centers on a regular basis. In most instances it was difficult to convince the parent/guardian to sign the program waiver form and we were not successful in our efforts to get people to complete a fee reduction request. In many cases, the youth would not eat breakfast or lunch if they did not participate in our program. Last year, of the approximately 350 summer camp participants, 79 received full fee waivers.
The Parks and Recreation Department staff have spent significant time and thought in attempts to more thoroughly develop guidelines for exceptions to the fee reduction policy. We regularly work with the Town’s Police and Public Housing staff in addition to the County Department of Social Services (DSS) and Chapel Hill-Carrboro City School staff regarding individual cases and have found that each situation is unique.
We have consistently been flexible in practice and have treated each case on an individual basis. However, we understand that a citizen with only the Department’s written material regarding fee reductions may believe that the Department does not have the flexibility to waive the program fee entirely. In an effort to provide all citizens the opportunity to request full fee waivers, we have recently implemented the following:
· We have installed large, visible signage at the entrances to all Department facilities where citizens can register stating “If you have extraordinary circumstances which affect your ability to pay our program fees, please ask a staff person about fee reduction options.”
· All staff have been reminded to refer anyone who asks about full fee waivers to facility supervisors and recreation specialists.
· All facility supervisors and recreation specialists have discussed and agreed on extraordinary situations which may warrant full fee waivers.
We will include accurate, appropriate information concerning fee waivers in all future Parks and Recreation Department publicity.
The Parks and Recreation Department staff is currently researching the potential to work directly with Orange County Department of Social Services (DSS) to determine fee waivers and levels of fee reductions for citizens. We understand that DSS determines the level of need for a wide variety of programs. Depending on the outcome of that research, working with Social Services to determine appropriate fee reductions may be included in recommended changes to the User Fee Policy for FY 2002-03.
ATTACHMENT
ATTACHMENT 1
FEE REDUCTION POLICY FOR THE TOWN OF CHAPEL HILL
PURPOSE: To provide a uniform policy for fee reduction and time payments for departmental fee programs.
POLICY: All Town of Chapel Hill and Orange County residents may request a reduction in program fees when a need exists. These requests must be made in writing on an official “Request for Fee Reduction” form and they will be evaluated based on overall household income and size relative to the Financial Assistance Eligibility Scale shown on the back of this page. This option does not exist for non-County residents. A family whose income is below the threshold will be charged the appropriate percentage of the established fee (including all applicable activity fees). In unusual situations, the Director of Parks and Recreation may factor in major illnesses or unusual family circumstances.
Household income is defined as the sum, on an annual basis, of all pay, allowances, maintenance/child support, social services allowances and other income for the household.
Parks and Recreation Department staff will use the information on the application only to determine if the applicant should receive a fee reduction and to verify eligibility. Where deemed desirable by the Department, a time payment schedule of fees due may be established for applicants in order to relieve the burden of full payment at one time.
For purposes of this policy, the term “fee” refers to any established individual user fee, which is paid to the Town of Chapel Hill, and where the program expenditures come from appropriated funds. This includes summer camp programs, youth sports, hobby classes, and special programs. Programs, which require payment directly to a private vendor, may not be covered by this policy.
All requests for fee reduction will be approved or denied by the Director of Parks and Recreation, or a designate of his/hers.
The Parks and Recreation Department staff will examine the application and, if completed fully and consistent with available facts, will look at the sliding scale on the “Request for Fee Reduction” application and apply the appropriate percentage of the full fee to determine the applicant’s fee. All registrants will typically be required to pay a minimum of $10.00 for each registration.
In the event of extraordinary circumstances which affect ability to pay portion of program fees, please ask a staff person about fee reduction/waiver options.
No supporting documentation is required but Parks and Recreation Department staff reserve the right to require documentation of financial status. All requests must be made for specific programs; no blanket approvals will be made covering more than one program.
Any questions regarding the “Fee Reduction Policy” should be forwarded to the Chapel Hill Parks and Recreation Department staff at 968-2784/TDD.