The selectmen voted 4–1 last week to suspend temporarily the fees they had recently established for the use of rooms in public buildings.
Selectman Ron Ricci reported that he had received calls from residents who felt that the fees were too steep. Ricci moved to suspend the fees for any nonprofit group consisting primarily of town residents until the selectmen could reconsider the fee schedule.
Selectman Tim Clark asked how the town would make up the cost to taxpayers for the use of the buildings. He argued that the town was seeking to save money wherever it could: “So, when we nickel and dime budgets and departments, is this something we should focus on for cost recovery for the operation of the buildings?” In deciding which groups should pay to use the rooms, Clark said, “We need a dividing line that’s very clear, not gray and not perforated.”
Chairman Leo Blair countered that he would prefer to give a free pass to any group that is purely “social,” a group with no fundraising activities or purposes. He asserted that the revenue generated by such fees was not significant enough to justify the barrier that the fees presented for groups who wanted to use the buildings. “I would rather see people using these buildings,” he concluded.
After further discussion, the board decided to suspend all the fees temporarily, rather than debate which groups qualified for free use of the rooms and which did not. The motion passed with only Clark voting in the negative.
