Agenda - Council - 08/08/2016 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Councilmember Shryock asked if there is a higher charge for paying with credit, as the City would have a fee to process that payment. Asst. City Administrator/Economic Development Manager Brama stated that at one time the City charged a surcharge but then people stopped using the online payment setup or using the service. He did not believe a surcharge was charged now because it did discourage users. Acting Mayor LeTourneau stated that it appears the $5 or $10 fee covers a multitude of services, whether that is the payment surcharge or staff time. Councilmember Williams referenced the damage deposit and asked if the City has had to invoke the damage deposit in the past and asked for more information on that process. Parks and Assistant Public Works Superintendent Riverblood stated that the City has never called on a damage deposit but believed it useful to keep it there as there are a good number of groups that do not clean-up after themselves. He noted that often the facilities are well booked and the deposit acts as an incentive to encourage people to clean up after themselves. City Administrator Ulrich noted that there was an instance where the City kept the damage deposit because tables were broken and needed to be repaired. He stated that if there is a routine renter they often keep the deposit in place from month to month. Parks and Assistant Public Works Superintendent Riverblood stated that people typically pay in the block, such as in yearly amounts, and noted that he cannot recall anyone questioning the fee. He noted that people are glad to receive this rate for the fabulous facility compared to the rates for private facilities. He noted that booking often includes a lot of questions and staff time. Councilmember Kuzma stated that perhaps additional information can be placed on the website to make the process easier. He stated that he would not be in favor of raising the rates. Councilmember Shryock stated that she also agrees with the decision not to raise the rates. She stated if additional fees are going to be charged, perhaps that be done in the form of electronic processing for payments where the City is actually being charged. Councilmember Williams stated that she hates credit card fees and would rather pay $10 compared to $7.25 for credit card payments. Acting Mayor Letourneau stated that as proposed the fee would not be broken out separately. He stated that this building was created for a bigger community purpose and a threshold was established that would cover the use of the building and that is the way that this has been running successfully but the City is at a place now where the question is whether it is time to adjust the rates. He stated that while the City could absorb the cost, it would also be reasonable to adjust the rates as it would not be a burden to attempt to recover some of the costs. He asked whether the Council would be comfortable carrying this amount or whether they would like to adjust the fee. City Council Work Session /July 26, 2016 Page 4 of 6