User fees for summer camps in Chatham-Kent are staying the same for now.
Council decided to keep summer camp fees the same after Councillor Brock McGregor introduced a motion to modify administration's recommendation to increase the fees by 23 per cent to keep pace with current market rates and higher costs to operate municipal summer camps.
The higher costs include staff wages, training, and programming.
Council voted 17-0 to keep the summer camp fees unchanged and to include any deficit in this year's budget variance.
The summer camp fees will remain at $61 for the Stay-N-Play camps and $127 for the KIDventure camps.
McGregor's motion also directed administration to include future rate increases in the multi-year budget along with other municipal user fees.
He said he understands there will be financial impacts to freezing the summer camp rates, but noted it's the most prudent way to do it right now.
McGregor told his colleagues around the council table that access to those quality and affordable summer camps is more important than ever right now.
"Freeze that proposed increase, understanding this is a particularly difficult year on household budgets with the inflation the way it is. I know these camps are really important for childcare during the eight week school break during the summer," said McGregor. "I do think we have an opportunity to do this how we do other user fees like baseball diamond rentals and per player fees. We typically do that around budget time and I think with the four year budget we have an opportunity to look at this in a way that gives families and users some cost certainty over time."
The municipality offers subsidies to families who can't afford the summer camps, but McGregor said the families that don't qualify for that financial assistance can still benefit from the current lower fees.
Director of Childcare, Early Years, and Recreation Kelly Emery said the summer camps currently run at a deficit and services won't change.
Emery previously wrote in a report that the proposed increase to user fees would generate approximately $35,000 in revenue to offset the operating funds required to keep the current summer camp programs in Blenheim, Chatham, Dresden, Ridgetown, Thamesville, Tilbury, Wallaceburg, and Wheatley functioning.
