Laserfiche WebLink
Otsego City Council should reconsider its decision <br /> <br /> We hope the decision by the <br />Otsego City Council to drop out <br />of the Community Recreation <br />program will be reconsidered. <br /> Otsego Mayor Larry Fournier <br />said he believes an agreement <br />can be reached where the city <br />can continue to participate. <br /> The decision was placed on the <br />agenda, discussed and voted on <br />with no notice to the public and <br />to the Community Recreation <br />Board. No recommendation was <br />sought from the community's <br />Park and Recreation <br />Commission. <br /> Fournier said the action was <br />taken to send the Community <br />Recreation Board a message <br />that the costs are going up too <br />fast. <br /> If that was the council's inten- <br /> <br />tion, it has gotten the attention. <br /> Fournier said the council is <br />willing to schedule a meeting <br />with the Community Recreation <br />Board and discuss the matter. <br /> He realizes the program is <br />good for the residents of Otsego, <br />but he questions at what cost. <br /> This dropping from the pro- <br />gram because of a belief that it <br />was too expensive for benefits <br />received started with the City of <br />Zimmerman, followed by neigh- <br />boring Livonia Township. <br /> The Township of Hassan also <br />has served notice it intends to <br />drop out of the program after <br />this year. <br /> This would leave only the City <br />of Rogers, the City of Elk River <br />and the City of Dayton in the <br />program. <br /> <br /> Unless Otsego can be persuad- <br />ed to stay in the program, it will <br />dissolve. Elk River will have to <br />run its own program and charge <br />higher fees to kids outside the <br />city who want to participate. <br /> Charging extra could hurt indi- <br />viduals in the cemmunities who <br />do not even know all of this is <br />going on behind the scenes. <br /> Otsego's action was unexpect- <br />ed, triggered by costs that have <br />gone up from $11,000 to $23,000 <br />in three years, partly because <br />Zimmerman and Livonia <br />dropped out. <br /> Roger Holmgren, chair of the <br />Community Recreation Board, <br />said the issues concerning <br />Otsego were never brought up <br />before the board, which meets <br />monthly. <br /> <br /> Even Mark Berning, the <br />Otsego council representative <br />on the board, who is known to be <br />a cost-cutter, sees the need for <br />the programs. To his credit, he <br />voted to retain the program. <br /> There was no clamor from the <br />public to cut out of the <br />Community Recreation <br />Program. In fact, we're led to <br />believe the public likes the pro- <br />gram. · <br /> Otsego has a good council. It <br />faces a host of tough decisions. <br />We concur with Mayor Fournier <br />that a meeting should be called <br />and that ways be found to keep <br />Otsego in a program that is good <br />for its citizens, particularly its <br />young people. - Don <br />Heinzman <br /> <br /> <br />