Prices for recreational activities, including summer camp and renting the Memorial Field turf, will be increased.
According to deputy township manager Monica Vandenberg, numerous fees are overlapping, outlined in three different ordinances. Additionally, hockey rinks and field parking did not have prices outlined for use.
Currently, per-hour fees are broken into local and non-local, non-local denoting non-Evesham Township residents. Additionally, non-profits pay a different fee to use the recreational facilities.
Local organizations pay a much lower fee to rent township-owned fields and courts, according to Vandenberg.
“If 60 percent of the organization is non-local, but only a couple of its members were from Evesham, they were getting the local price,” Vandenberg said.
Mayor Randy Brown would like to see the fees raised, without hurting the recreation department’s budget, and find a solution to pay debt. Fees for the day camps are “low as they are” and stand to be raised with the ordinance change.
“We have the capacity and a facility to handle, and we need to stop giving it away,” Brown said.
The mayor brought the conversation back to taxes, saying raising the tax levy next year again “just isn’t happening,” especially when the township has the ability to control costs to bring in revenue.
“We need to find a better way to get it done,” Brown said.
According to Vandenberg, the turf’s usage is at 90 percent, primarily occupied by the Marlton Rec Council.
According to Councilman Ken D’Andrea, a study was done to compare fees with the township’s sister towns. Evesham Township’s fees are “really low” comparatively, he said.
Brown is focused on setting the fees at a flat rate regardless of whether participants live in town.
No decisions were made, and new ordinances are expected for introduction following a review of how it will impact the recreation department’s budget.
In other news:
• Township council honored Marlton resident Joe Fisicaro Sr. for his appointment as vice president for the state Board of Education.
Fisicaro spent 33 years as an educator in the Philadelphia School District. He is the former president of the Lenape Regional High School District Board of Education, where he served for 18 years, and is currently serving at the Burlington County Institute of Technology as a special education staff member.
• The council honored the Marlton MUA employees with a proclamation for their speedy response to a water main break on Revere Road.
The eight members were commended for their “commitment to serving the residents of Evesham Township by responding in an efficient and timely manner. It is assurance to excellence and efficiency that have made these team members valued and trusted Evesham Township employees.”
• The council also honored three Marlton baseball teams, the Reds U8, U9 and the Cardinals 11-year-old boys baseball for winning championships.
The Reds U8 and U9 took the District Five Championship, the Southern NJ State Championship and the MidAtlantic Regional Championship, and the Cardinals captured both the District Five Championship and the Southern NJ State Championship.
Brown put the pressure on the 8U athletes, joking they will need to be undefeated on the new turf fields, slated for an early April opening, for the next two years.
The next township council meeting is scheduled for Oct. 1 at 6:30 p.m. at the municipal building.
