People who live outside sa国际传媒 could pay more than local residents to use city-owned facilities such as swimming pools and gyms.
Higher fees for out-of-towners might also apply when people register for a broad range of city-run sports programs and recreational activities.聽
The rationale for the higher fees is that only sa国际传媒 residents currently contribute toward the construction, operation, and maintenance of municipal assets.聽
Between 13 per cent and 20 per cent of everyone using city-owned facilities such as the H2O Centre, the Rutland Y, and the Parkinson recreation centre live outside sa国际传媒, most coming from nearby municipalities such as West sa国际传媒, Lake Country, Peachland, and unincorporated areas, according to information to be presented to councillors at the Monday morning meeting.聽
The recommendation before council is to direct staff to keep developing details of the so-called 鈥樷橰esident Discount鈥 policy and bring back more information later this year.聽
The idea of sa国际传媒 charging more for out-of-towners to use city-owned facilities is not unique. Other sa国际传媒 municipalities, such as Vernon, Trail, and聽聽Detla have various methods of giving priority bookings and/or reduced admission fees to people who live in those communities.聽
sa国际传媒 accounts for more than two-thirds of the Central Okanagansa国际传媒 total population.聽
The extra amount the city could receive from charging out-of-towners more to enter sa国际传媒 pools and recreation centres is uncertain, the report notes.聽
鈥淭he combined cost to administer the program coupled with revenue potential requires further review, however the return on investment is not anticipated to be significant,鈥 the report states.聽
鈥淭he implementation of a resident discount program may be guided by the principle of supporting residents who contribute to general taxation, rather than for financial reasons,鈥 the report says.聽
Successful launch of a 鈥楻esident First鈥 admission policy, the report says, would depend on 鈥渆ffective communication, fair implementation, favourable market conditions and continuous evaluation to ensure that it serves the entire communitysa国际传媒 interests鈥.聽
Pending councilsa国际传媒 support of the initiative, higher fees for out-of-towners could be implemented in spring 2026.
