The Salem City Council will withhold the quarterly payment to the YMCA until information is provided on increased costs to the city. The current service agreement expired at the end of April and City Manager Annette Sola doesn’t want to extend it without answers from the YMCA.
“Not knowing what the meetings were between the City Manager at that time and the YMCA, those items are the documents that are missing. I think it was more of a gentlemen’s agreement and now that has shifted to the point that financially it doesn’t make since for the city to continue the way the contract is written.”
Sola says the main issue is a shift from the city keeping revenue from city recreation programs to that revenue going to the YMCA. That amounted to $23,000 last year and increased the city’s recreation budget to $125,000. At the same time, the city is continuing to pay the bills for officials and equipment. Sola says on Friday, the YMCA board did agree to have a meeting on the issue at their office in Breese.
Even with the end of the agreement and the Y not being paid, Sola says programs will continue as usual as the issues are worked out. Sola emphasized the issue is with the YMCA board that oversees all programs in the Metro-East, and not with local Y and Recreation Director Jed Casburn who she says continues to do an excellent job.
Right now the Aquatic Center is being operated as a separate budget. Part of the talks with the Y could be them taking over operation of the pool.
The council unanimously agreed with Sola, with Mayor Nick Farley noting the way the revenue is currently split is not good for the taxpayer.
