Council Members:
Although I do not see the continued discussion of the aquatic fees on the January 23, 2024 agenda, I believe that at the January 9, 2024 meeting there was the proposal to continue the discussion of the aquatic fees. A prominent idea is that since Menlo Park City residents contributed to the building and upkeep of the facility, there should be a reduced fee for residents. For other stated reasons, you have also reduced fees for Hyperlocal residents as defined by a geographic area.
The aquatic programs draw participants from a wider geographical area than just the city of Menlo Park. That is a compliment to the quality of the aquatic programs. It is easy to identify those with a different city address. But how do you identify those with a Menlo Park address but do not live within the city of Menlo Park (excluding the Hyperlocal residents as mentioned above)? Is this distinction important to the fee structure? I merely bring this point up because of the comments made that city residents are entitled to lower fees because of their tax contribution. Needless to say it may be logistically difficult to separate the city residents of Menlo Park from the county residents of Menlo Park when it comes to assessing the fees for each participant.
Sandra Bardas
1343 Hoover Street
