Yuba City’s council voted 4-1 Tuesday to raise recreation program fees by 50%, choosing the full increase option over a two-year phase-in as staff warned that costs continue to outpace revenue.
According to the city’s recreation fee presentation, the program’s annual expenditures were $1,879,285, while revenues were $700,475, leaving a shortfall of $1,178,810. Staff said the 50% increase would reduce that gap by $347,118, leaving a remaining subsidy gap of about $831,692.
The council adopted the higher-fee option during a meeting that also included discussion of the city’s broader budget pressures and long-term infrastructure needs. A summary of the meeting said the recreation decision immediately changes the city’s fee schedule and shifts more of the program’s cost onto users.
The summary and presentation materials indicate the vote was a recorded 4-1 decision. The materials do not yet include the full adopted fee schedule or any accompanying waiver, scholarship or low-income mitigation changes, so the immediate impact on individual program categories is not yet clear.