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Home My WebLink AboutIR 10700INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS No. 21-10700 To the Mayor and Members of the City Council November 2, 2021 Page 1 of 3 SUBJECT: COMMUNITY CENTER YOUTH MEMBERSHIP FEES The purpose of this Informal Report is to provide an overview of the youth membership card program offered at Park & Recreation (PARD) and Neighborhood Services (NSD) departments' community centers. In addition to providing community center access, the membership card program tracks participation, strengthens program development, provides individual emergency contact information, serves as a preventative security measure and generates revenues for the General Fund. Membership or access cards are an industry standard in municipal park and recreation departments and nonprofit agencies. The PARD and NSD operate 14 and 7 community centers, respectively. The Membership Identification Card program and associated fees have been in place since the mid-1990s. The requirements and benefits of this fee -based program are summarized below. In addition, this report includes benchmarking of youth membership card programs from the large Texas cities and nonprofit agencies. Membership ID card requirements and benefits • Allows scan -in access to all 21 community centers in the City • Establishes waiver of liability to the City • Requires agreement to follow and adhere to facility rules • Enables system -wide tracking of participants • Membership card is a requirement for entry into each program (i.e., Summer Day Camp and After School Program) • Gives participant access to open play areas of the building (gym, computer lab, game room) • Provides an effective avenue to market and promote programs/events by sending out emails and text messages to registered cardholders • Assists in program development through data and use analysis • Requires customers to provide contact information one time only instead of each use Purpose and benefits of fees • Generates ownership and buy -in • Provides cost recovery for the membership card, supplies and administrative processing • Enhances customer's perceived value of the benefits they will receive • Deters unruly behavior by having to provide all contact information i.e. ownership • Revenues serve to supplement maintenance and equipment replacement costs • Revenue generation lessens the operating subsidy for community centers ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER FORT WORTH, TEXAS INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS To the Mayor and Members of the City Council No. 21-10700 November 2, 2021 Page 2 of 3 SUBJECT: COMMUNITY CENTER YOUTH MEMBERSHIP FEES Benchmarkina The following provides a summary of youth membership ID card programs in Texas index cities and nonprofit agencies. All the cities and entities have an ID card system that registers youth participants to capture individual participant information for safety and security purposes and collection of participants' use data for program development. CITIES Arlington (Gym, Track, Open & Lap Swim, Splash Pad) Austin Dallas Denton (8 and up) El Paso Houston San Antonio Fort Worth NON-PROFIT AGENCIES Boy Scouts Boys & Girls Clubs Clayton Youth Enrichment YMCA (age 11-26) CURRENT ID CARD FEE - ANNUAL $120 free free $10 free free free $25 CURRENT ID CARD FEE - ANNUAL $72 + $97 reg. fee $50 $50/$90 max. $456 REPLACEMENT DAY PASS CARD FEE FEE $5 $8; Kids Club Drop -In $2 $10 free $2 $5 w/no card N/A $3 N/A free N/A free N/A free N/A $3 REPLACEMENT DAY PASS CARD FEE FEE N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A $10 Revenues from Youth Membership ID Card Fees The following provides the number of annual and daily cards issued and revenues realized (based on pre-COVID actuals in FY2019) for the PARD's 14 community centers: • 3,395 youth ID cards = $67,653 (prior rate of $20) • 7,439 Youth Day Passes = $14,878 (prior rate of $2) • Total of $82,531 The following provides the number of annual and daily cards issued and revenues realized (based on pre-COVID actuals in FY2019) for the NSD's 7 community centers: • 1,266 youth ID cards = $25,101 (prior rate of $20) • 3,852 Youth Day Passes = $7,704 (prior rate of $2) • Total of $32,805 Total budgeted revenue for all ID cards in FY2022 for each department: • PARD = $110,545 • NSD = $34,045 • Grand total = $144,590 ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER FORT WORTH, TEXAS INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS No. 21-10700 To the Mayor and Members of the City Council November 2, 2021 Page 3 of 3 SUBJECT: COMMUNITY CENTER YOUTH MEMBERSHIP FEES Staff recommendations for City Council consideration • Eliminate resident youth membership fee, but maintain the requirement of obtaining a membership card for identification, emergency contact information, and capturing use data for programming and operational analysis. This policy would be effective January 1, 2022. Other fees will be analyzed as part of the FY2023 budget process. Recommended Youth Membership ID Card Fee ID CARD FEE — ANNUAL REPLACEMENT CARD DAY PASS FEE (Effective 01-01-2022) FEE Resident No fee No fee No fee Non -Resident $45 $5 $6 As fee -based policy changes are implemented, it is imperative that the membership ID card program be maintained for the following reasons: • Center security (all members are required to scan into the center so staff are aware who is in the facility at any time in case of emergency). • Staff is able to obtain and provide accurate data of facility utilization. • Staff is able to better create programs and activities based on facility usage and attendance. • Allows staff to collect data on emergency contacts, medical concerns, allergies, etc., and get family permission for child to be in the center. • Decisions on adjusting hours or other aspects of operations can be made with usage data generated by ID scans. If you have questions about this information, please contact: o Richard Zavala, Director, Park & Recreation (817-392-5711) o Victor Turner, Director, Neighborhood Services (817-392-8187) David Cooke City Manager ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER FORT WORTH, TEXAS