Parents ask to preserve rec programs
By Jane Beathard
Staff Writer
A group of London parents and their children asked city council on Thursday to preserve local youth recreational programs, despite a shrinking budget.
Chuck Duvall spoke for about 15 others who attended the regular council meeting. He acknowledged council members are facing difficult decisions about city finances. However, more than 500 local children and their parents benefit from winter basketball and volleyball leagues at the London Community Center, as well as summer softball and baseball programs at city parks, he said.
He urged council to keep the community center intact and allow activities centered there to grow.
“Keep an open mind about how those activities affect the city’s future,” Duvall cautioned.
He proposed increased participation and admission fees as a means of covering operating expenses at the center. He voiced support for a new tax to fund recreation in the city.
London’s parks and recreation department took a severe hit in the 2013 budget. Director Ryan Ladd’s $44,927 per year full-time job was cut to part time. On Thursday, council revised that salary to $15 per hour for a 32-hour week. Additional reductions in the recreation budget closed the municipal swimming pool, saving $30,000 to $35,000 annually, according to auditor Katie Hensel.
Council member Dick Minner noted the city plants trees for future benefit and should be willing to support youth activities for the same reason.
All six council members present at Thursday’s meeting said they would support a future tax levy earmarked for recreation. Alan Knowles was absent. Minner and Steve Scaggs said they preferred to wait until November’s general election for a ballot initiative.
Also on Thursday, council failed to act on a request by tax director Randy Courter to increase his department’s 2013 budget by $10,000 in order to pay a part-time clerk for 32 hours of work each week.
The clerk currently works 23 hours weekly. The union that represents the clerk requested the increase.
What is wrong with these people? I am in shock as to how people can attend a meeting to support a tax to fund recreation programs instead of a tax to fund our police department. People in the town really need to get a grip on reality and see what is important. Who is going to keep them safe when they are traveling to and from these programs or who is going to be there if something bad happens? Seriously people, for the sake of our town, support our police department first!
How does this make sense? The people of this town vote down a levy when they knew that reduced police and fire protection would result. However things only become untenable when the rec budget gets cut!? I cannot wait until the insurance companies find out about the reduced fire and police protection. The increased premiums will be an unexpected surprise to those dumb enough to think that preserving a rec budget will cure all ills.