As we start the New Year, one of the almost-inevitable changes that come into play for area residents who use the city's recreational facilities is a fee increase.

This increase comes as it does nearly every year for the past number of years, as the costs of operating the recreation and cultural facilities rise. Most often it's due to factors beyond the city's control, such as the cost of electricity, gas, telephone service and manpower.

These are the same factors any property owner has to manage in the operating of their particular business or residence; the difference, for the City of Weyburn, is that the fees charged to users do not cover the entire cost of operation.

Indeed, the city has long held as a goal to have the user fees pay for at least half of the operating costs, and taxpayers' dollars pay the balance. In the last several years, however, the city has never actually met that objective, even with annual fee increases. Part of the reason is, of course, that the facilities are built and maintained by tax dollars, in other words by the residents and business owners of the community, for the public's use and benefit.

As the discussions took place about whether there should again be a five-per-cent increase, the feeling was expressed by some councillors that the line may be crossed where the fees rise as high as people are able and/or willing to pay them. In other words, there's a fine line that remains invisible until it's crossed; how far do you go before people start looking at the fees and say, "That's simply too much, and I won't pay it"?

Some council members said they are of the opinion that invisible line has not been crossed, and what's more, the fees could rise substantially more to reach that 50-per-cent user-pay line before there would be a problem.

It's a risky line to cross, when one considers that if people think the fees are too high, they won't use the facilities, and therefore the revenues drop off, and the temptation to restore those revenues is to raise the prices yet again.

On the other hand, the taxpayer is looking at their yearly property tax bill, and are wondering, with all that their dollars support, are recreation and culture facilities worth what it's costing to support? How high do the taxes have to go before there's a limit reached? There are many more demands on the tax dollar than ever before; there are municipal services like fire and police, street maintenance, parks maintenance, utilities (which have their own accounts) and finance and administration overseeing all of that, plus their wages.

It's no simple task looking at everything and wondering what stays and what goes; hopefully with moderate increases here and there, the services we need and those we want will both be possible to maintain. - Greg Nikkel