Council for North Huron will revisit a controversial recreation fee hike, after finding that revenues generated from memberships dropped by more than half in recent years.
In 2024, the town eliminated its complete membership — which provided access to the gym and pool for one reasonable price — and increased the rates for each facility, which essentially tripled the cost for the same service.
Kelly Steiss, Director of Recreation, brought a report to council earlier this month, which showed an over 55 per cent decline in recreation membership revenue in 2024.
"It did indicate a significant loss of revenue following the fee increases," said Steiss. "That's with the numbers based on the aggregate data collected from out revenue sources."
Steiss said the Township couldn't just look at the drop in memberships sold due to a change in the registration software.
However, she said the revenue numbers reflect the feedback they received in a late 2024 survey of users, that the new costs were keeping people away from the North Huron Wescast Community Center.
"I think anecdotally we could say that we've seen less people coming through our doors, and our goal is to try and boost that back up," said Steiss. "The way you do it is you try and provide a balanced approach, one that offers a good rate to the public but also tries to minimize the tax impact."
Steiss said as part of the 2026 budget process, there will be a chance for residents to share their support for a complete membership once again.
A petition opposing the changes circulated throughout the public when they were first proposed in 2023, but council ultimately ignored those calls. The 2024 satisfaction survey did prompt council to re-introduce senior and student rates for memberships.
North Huron's budget will be finalized in December, so any changes to recreation fees could be in place for the new year.
