Bancroft council votes to set arena user fees for 2025-27

This comes after a staff report by the Arena Ad Hoc committee recommended that the current user fee of $200 be increased to $300 for the 2025 season.

The staff report noted that the actual user fee, based on 2023 costs, should be $522 per person.

At Wednesdays council meeting, Mayor Jenkins noted that Bancroft taxpayers have been unfairly absorbing the cost difference between what each arena user is paying vs what they cost.

Coun. Tracy McGibbon pointed out that North Hastings Public Library had a more expensive per person cost than the arena and is supported by the Town.

At the council meeting, an amendment was made by Ad Hoc Committee member Valerie Miles to increase the fee. Miles cited concerns in the future if the deficit didn’t start being adequately addressed.

“I don’t think we’re charging enough. I think if we only make a decision that involves next year, what happens the year after that? We’re in this room having this argument, this conversation, again. And then the year after that there’s a whole brand-new council and we’d leave a mess. If we don’t set ourselves up today to cover this deficit based on where we are, we’re not resolving a thing.”

The council then voted on the amended fees of $400 and $600.

The vote passed 4-3 in favor of the new user fees.

Ahead of the motion being passed, councilor Tracy McGibbon asked for a recorded vote.

McGibbon, who voted against the increased user fee, later said she was surprised by the motion to amend the proposed user fee to $400 from the $300 that had been proposed in the October Arena Ad Hoc Committe staff report.

You can watch the council meeting here.