BOC considers fee increase for rec programs

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Monday, August 30. 2010

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Madison County parents may soon be asked to pay an additional $10 when signing up their kids for recreation programs. But leaders note that even with an increase, county rates will remain lower than other recreation facilities in Northeast Georgia.

County commissioners discussed the potential fee increase earlier this month, but they took no action on the proposal.

For many years, the county recreation department has charged a $25 registration fee for children wanting to play recreation sports. Meanwhile, registration rates in neighboring counties have gone up.

For instance, T-ball fees have remained at $25 locally, while fees in other counties are as follows: $70 in Barrow County, $65 in Elbert County, $60 in Jackson County, $55 in Oglethorpe County and $40 in Stephens County.

“We need to increase those fees,” said commissioner Bruce Scogin during a recent budget meeting with recreation director Dick Perpall. “Even Oglethorpe County is $55.”

Perpall suggested that the county consider raising registration rates by $15 to $40, which would put Madison County in line with the lowest-charging area recreation facilities.

But commissioners said they favored a more modest increase of $10, which would generate an estimated $16,000 in additional revenue for the recreation department. The recreation department budget for 2011 is $557,953.

“If we got with $10, we’d still be lower than others,” said commissioner John Pethel.

Perpall said some people complain about the $25 registration fees.

But Scogin said people need to keep perspective, noting that complaining about recreation fees while paying significant money for expensive accessories, doesn’t make sense.

“There are all these kids with $75 to $80 cell phones on their belt, $125 tennis shoes, $40 polo shirts, and never a complaint about that,” he said. “… We give children too much of the unimportant things and not enough of the important things.”

Scogin said he wants “everyone to be able to play ball,” but he said people “have to prioritize” their wants, adding that he doesn’t “see a fee increase as a big deterrent.”

“There’s not any better money invested,” he said of the recreation programs.

Commissioner Stanley Thomas noted that fee increases mean that people who use the recreation facilities will actually pay more. He said that keeping fees much lower than surrounding areas effectively shifts the burden of recreation funding from users of the facilities to property owners.

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#1 anon on 08/30/10 at 08:46 AM [Reply]

Do away with all our tax money being wasted at this place and put the ones that use it to paying for it ! I for one am tired of my tax money being wasted on a facility so the parents can go there and fight because their child is better than another ! What happened to the days of it being a GAME and it being fun ? When the consession stand takes in over $100,000.00 a year it needs to be self supporting ! Well start paying to use it or shut the dang thing down and stop WASTING OUR TAX MONEY !!!!

#2 make the users pay their own way on 08/30/10 at 10:55 AM [Reply]

Those who use the rec park should pay ALL the costs of the rec park. Children can still play ball without the rec park. We did. Heck, most of us played our pick-up games in the yard because we actually got to play. Kids at the rec park are more like going to boot camp or work, never playing because some middle-aged old farts think they are prepping for the super bowl.

Rec park or vacant lot? When we were kids, most of us preferred the vacant lot anytime where we could actually PLAY BALL.

For those poor kids whose parents think they have to be the next Emmitt Smith or Michael Jordan and make them do organized sports, UP THOSE FEES BIG TIME. I agree, any kid with a cell phone should have to pay at least $300 / yr. for rec park use, probably a lot more. For families whose kids don't have cell phones and designer clothes and actually need help, they can prove it via their tax returns and qualify for scholarships so they pay less.

Rec park needs to be self-sustaining, getting ALL of it's money from those who actually use the place. I used to go over there and try to hit some balls with some friends, and they would try to run us off. If we can't use it, we dang sure shouldn't have to pay for it.

#2.1 Love the Idiots on 08/31/10 at 01:21 PM [Reply]

While I'm paying for the Recreation Department. I'm going to let you pay for the Sheriff's tab, the EMS bills, the roads... etc. We live in a COUNTY, not private individualized zonings. We live in a county where if you want you can go over to the track and walk till your ole heart is content.

I'm not using the school system but I live in this county and I know that being a citizen includes paying for ALL services offered by said county. I can't just pick and choose which ones I want to pay for.

What world do you live in or did you live in where that was acceptable? I don't like paying for your medicare and medicade but I do it! I know that as a citizen of this county, this state and this country that this is what we are called to do. If you don't pay your taxes you go to jail or lose your home/land.

So if you don't like paying for the Recreation Department of Madison County... quit paying your taxes. We will take your land and home as payment and you can move to a county that doesn't have a recreation department. Or, if you go to jail... don't worry I pay taxes for that too! So you're covered! Problem solved.

#3 oh please on 08/30/10 at 01:20 PM [Reply]

At no point in this artical did I see anything about your tax dollars being increased. You should be happy to see children, who otherwise would not get to play, playing in an organized sport. Do you think that they will be able to play at your local schools....if so YOU ARE WRONG!!!! You do realize that the school only has one team for each sport & that only so many children are allowed on a team, right? That means for all the others, that want to play a team sport they need the rec.....do you get it?????
And what is it to you or any other person if I give my child the things I want them to have. Not every parent in the county is on goverment assistance or holding their hand out. I pay for kids to play and its none of your business or the BOC's what I give my kids. Did you stop to think, that my child might have a prepaid phone or maybe I make my kids do chores to earn money....no you didn't, SHAME ON YOU!! Maybe you and the BOC members should get your butts out and volunteer. See what the programs are about and then make a judgement call.
By the way, maybe the BOC shouldn't take the money from the concession stands and use it in other places, maybe they should actually give it back to the rec. They could also start by charging some of these travel ball teams that use the facility. You need to get the FACTS before you go "running off at the mouth".
And yes, I do volunteer and I have had 3 children go through the programs offered by the rec. I am VERY THANKFUL that they have had a place to be involved and that I could be involved with them.

#3.1 Responsible Parent on 08/30/10 at 05:13 PM [Reply]

I am a parent of 4 children, and I completely agree that users of the parks should be the ones who pay for them. I think you missed the point. Taxes could actually DECREASE if the money wasn't being wasted on manicured, sodded, raked and mowed ball fields that people can't even use half the time. We simply don't have spare money in the budget to pay for this nonsense.

You say kids will be "playing in an organized sport." You need to read what was written. The point was that over 90% of the time the children who are in organized sports, they are NOT PLAYING. They are practicing a bunch of repetitive crap so some middle-aged old losers can live out their child / sports fantasies (not sure which).

Madison county has an atrocious graduation rate. Too many of those kids think they are going to be sports stars and turn into DROPOUTS. We need to spend the money being thrown away on rec parks on EDUCATION instead. When we have a 100% graduation rate for at least 5 consecutive years, THEN we can talk about spending A LITTLE money on some losers living their sports fantasies through children.

Besides, no one is opposed to the recreation park. If YOU CHOOSE to take YOUR CHILDREN there, that is fine with me. But those people who ACTUALLY USE the play park are the ones who should PAY FOR IT. Are we supposed to buy your kids tickets to Whitewater, Six Flags, and Disneyworld, too? According to your argument, the answer would be "yes." Sorry, lady, we need to cut you and the rest of the moochers OFF. you pay for your kids cell phones, sneakers, AND you need to be paying for their PLAY PARK. The rest of us would rather put our money towards EDUCATION, which we are legally obligated to provide for the good of society. There is NO LEGAL OBLIGATION to provide play parks for "organized" sports. I agree with those above that an empty field and a bat and a ball are all that is needed and then kids can ACTUALLY PLAY and not even have to keep score. I like playing when the old tree was a home run, or the pasture fence was out of bounds...now that was fun! And no old losers barking orders, yelling at the kids. And no redneck ignorant parents screaming, cheering, and fighting over NOTHING.

By the way, your children are SUPPOSED to have already had a place where they "could be involved" and you "could be involved with them." It's called YOUR HOME. Sheesh! No wonder kids and families are so messed up these days, thinking they have to go to a ball field to be involved with their kids and family! Sounds like you actually may want to try SPENDING SOME TIME with your kids AT HOME.

EDUCATION FIRST! Believe me, when you write a comment we all can see how much more you would have benefited from a little more time in the classroom and a little less goof-off time on the BALL FIELD.

#3.1.1 Anonymous on 08/30/10 at 09:02 PM [Reply]

I agree with you 100 percent. Education should be top priority. Most of the good athletics are playing for the school anyway and will get scholarships thru the school system.
We need to curb the Rec. dept. and stop giving in to Dick Perpall. Why does he need to make as much as the BOC chairman? He Doesn't.

#3.1.1.1 Anonymous on 09/01/10 at 01:08 PM [Reply]

My children play for the school

#3.1.2 Anonymous on 08/31/10 at 11:10 AM [Reply]

thank you for recognizing that the rec park doesn't exist for the children at all, but it exists for the old jerks trying to live out some sports fantasy or trying to abuse their sons into working to become some sports star, which is a shame to waste your kid's childhood on even if they "make it." there are so many real, positive, worthwhile careers that make a difference, like doctors, engineers, scientists. if we put as much time and money into these careers as we put into baseball, football, and basketball, cancer would have been cured 20 years ago. pro athletes are just dummies with money - like paris hilton. also note i said working and not playing. kids need to play; not work to become daddy's little nfl wannabe.

#3.2 Appleannie on 08/30/10 at 06:47 PM [Reply]

Are you folks living in an alternate universe?I want your little Johnny and Susie to play ball and cheer themselves and you silly.But,we can't do business as usual.There are services being strained that are vital to our citizens and depts.laying off and cutting benefits right and left.Glad you have the income to pay the kids so they can in turn pay the phone bill.Hope you never find yourself in the boat a lot of us are in and desperately bailing to stay afloat.

#4 FoodForThought on 08/30/10 at 05:20 PM [Reply]

The FBI released a report about where most child predators are found in society. In the top 10:

- Churches

- Boy Scouts (and similar organizations)

- Playgrounds

- ORGANIZED YOUTH SPORT LEAGUES / RECREATIONAL PARKS

Something to think about before sending you children off to spend time with strangers in environments that will involve changing rooms. Sometimes the offender is not always a coach; sometimes it is another parent, park employee, or the one most people overlook: another child on the same team or another team.

#4.1 E.J. on 08/31/10 at 09:28 AM [Reply]

Thanks for this information that most folks simply don't believe because it is inconvenient or too unsettling. To those folks: Get real! Get educated! Accept that real life is not as simple and easy as you'd like. Raising children is difficult and time-consuming; accept that, also. We will all be better off if all parents will actually step up to the challenge.

#5 Sardonic Veracity on 08/31/10 at 11:34 AM [Reply]

Now that the parents of the fat kids have been heard... you people always want to complain about the county providing a place for our children to exercise. Do you not realize that learning to live a healthy lifestyle is part of a sound education?

"When I was little," if the tree was a home run and the pasture fence was out of bounds, it meant that I was playing by myself since there weren't any other kids living for miles around. I appreciate the rec department being there then so that I could participate in a team sport - and at that time the county farm was not as nice as it is today. I appreciate our boards of commissioners of that era having the foresight to put something in motion so that we are reaping the rewards now. I've never known a ballplayer who prefered playing by himself or with a couple buddies in a vacant field to playing on a real ball field with a team. When you want to play ball, the fun is in getting better, learning something new and improving so that you can win. Repetition is part of practice and practice is part of the game. I am sad that this needs to be explained. The recreation department and the volunteers that provide their service at no charge are to be valued and commended, not sniped at by parents whose big boned children would rather be at home eating candy and playing xbox.

I have been pleased with the recreation department and the programs that they offer. With a few exceptions, I have also been pleased with the volunteer coaches.

Concerning the article at hand, $25 is not a large expenditure, even for t ball, and anyone who complains about spending that does not know what baseball will cost you in the long run. However, when the article states that the "county charges" $25, does that refer to the total cost at signup or is that only a portion of the league's charge? The fees need to be affordable. That being said, there is usually the opportunity in most leagues for those who truly can't afford the fee to be provided a scholarship.

#6 Madison county mom on 08/31/10 at 12:43 PM [Reply]

I have a child that plays sports at the Rec Dept and I have no problem paying fees for him to play. It was noted that in Oglethorpe county, T-ball fees are $55.00. That is true. My son played one year there, but they also provided his t-ball jersey, hat, pants & trophy. All that was included in the $55.00 we paid. When he played this year for Madison County, we paid the $25.00 and all he got was his t-ball jersey. We had to pay out of pocket for his hat, pants AND trophy. If they are going to up the fees to be like other counties, they should include all that the other counties include. Not just raise the fee for nothing. Like I said, I don't mind paying to register my child to play sports, but if we are going to get compared to other couties, we should get the same package deal when we sign them up.

#6.1 republican.conservative.father on 08/31/10 at 02:59 PM [Reply]

Agree. Raise the fees. A few hundred dollars is not much if the rec park does so much for your kid. You should be happy to pay. I certainly am. Rec parks cost money and those who use it should pay. That is fair and Biblical. Raise the fees. The moochers have been getting by on the responsible parents' nickel too long.

#6.2 Rooltide13 on 08/31/10 at 09:56 PM [Reply]

That is a great point. They say they are cheaper, but what they really mean is they don't supply as much. Take Jackson for example. They charge $60.00. You get a full iniform and trophies with that price. Not a bad deal. If you pay $25.00 now and it is raised to $50.00 you should get more than a shirt. One thing I have discovered about most of the rec departments around N. GA is that they are run by greedy people. I do appreciate most of the coaches that teach these kids, but you can count on for every good coach you have a bad one. I hope this works out for the kid's sake.

#7 lynne on 08/31/10 at 01:56 PM [Reply]

Fees are waaayyy too low in Madison County! Raise them substantially!

#8 Anonymous on 09/02/10 at 10:46 AM [Reply]

I for one don't mind a fee increase. I think its about time that the Rec Dept. start to pay its own way. I do use the Rec Dept to exercise and get fresh air. I wouldn't mind paying a fee to use it like a gym membership. That being said, the people that don't want to pay to use the rec then you don't get to use the rec dept or any of the fields that the rec dept handles. (Diamond Hill, Mize park)

#8.1 Anonymous on 09/04/10 at 11:55 AM [Reply]

Everyone here is in agreement, rec park users and non rec park users: RAISE THE FEES. and RAISE THEM A LOT. and RAISE THEM SOON.

#9 Idea to think about on 09/04/10 at 01:21 PM [Reply]

I think if the county would cease the use of
driving county owned vehicles home, out of the
county would be one way to save. Do you know it is 40+ round trip for the white F150 truck from the gov't complex to drive back and forth to Commerce (Jackson County) to Katie Lane everyday, not to metion grocery shopping in Commerce in this truck which has a gov't tag on it. No doubt this is a gov't owned vehicle whose owner sponges our tax money for fuel and upkeep of the truck.......

#9.1 anon on 09/06/10 at 10:02 PM [Reply]

Yeah, and it's a new one at that !!!!

#10 wonderwall on 09/05/10 at 04:56 PM [Reply]

How much can it really cost to run a field. Do we really need two guys there all day to cut the grass. Do we really need someone making 40k a year to sit there and run the place all day. so we have a team of people to cut grass, halfway fix stuff and do what exactly. sounds to me like they could cut the grass once a week when it needs it and get an outside contractor to do it for less that what we are paying now. Just a thought but a full staff for a rec department seems like a bit much.

#10.1 Anonymous on 09/07/10 at 01:44 AM [Reply]

Let the kids cut the grass. More exercise, healthier kids, and save money.

#11 taxpayor on 09/09/10 at 03:59 PM [Reply]

I want all the so call conservation parcels re-evaluated. Many are not farming or using as farm land or really truly growing tree's in my opinion. My view. Costing taxes by those who can pay. I hope some BOC sooner and not later asks the State to review these parcels and bet could be suggestion to reappraise all to see if qualify.

#11.1 Sardonic Veracity on 09/10/10 at 03:19 PM [Reply]

If they were farming or actively growing tree's (sic), would that really be "conservation?"

#12 Anonymous on 09/11/10 at 04:01 PM [Reply]

When did this conversation turn from raising fees for the rec dept to paying property taxes?

#13 Anonymous on 09/12/10 at 10:41 PM [Reply]

Just raise the fees and let the people using the rec park pay for the rec park. Then we don't have to raise taxes or deprive good land stewards of conservation exemptions for sacrificing their land for future generations.

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BOC considers fee increase for rec programs

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BOC considers fee increase for rec programs

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