City drops rec director funding

Alexis Barker
NLJ News Editor
 
Budget discussions are in full swing with approvals for fiscal year 2020 budgets due by the end of June. Local entities are looking at cuts to their budgets because of reduced revenue. For fiscal 2020, the city of Newcastle has opted to not fund a recreation director. 
According to City Clerk-Treasurer Greg James, in October 2015, the city’s recreation director position was created on a “trial basis.” The cost of the salary and benefits for the position was split between the city and Weston County School District No. 1, with the city being responsible for $28,915 in fiscal 2019, James said.
“The cost had been questioned by the council a few times in the past, but with static to decreasing general fund revenue, the mayor and council decided we could simply not continue to financially support the position another year,” James told the News Letter Journal. “Should general revenue funding turn around significantly, there may be consideration to again fund the position in the future.” 
With the city’s announcement that it would not fund the position, the school district must decide whether to fully fund the position, said Superintendent Brad LaCroix. The school board discussed its options on May 29 during a regular meeting. 
“Part of me wants to say (that) since the city walked away from recreation, we should too, but I don’t think that would be wise for the young people in our community,” LaCroix said. “I believe a new rec director without the city would look at recreation at the elementary school and tie in to the middle school activities director because there is extra money there.” 
The biggest need for school district facilities falls between 7 and 9 p.m., once school activities are done for the day, LaCroix said. 
“I really think whatever we do with this, we need to develop a program that brings it back to us with what is working and what is not working so we can do it differently,” LaCroix said. 
The district currently spends $6,776 for wages and benefits for the middle school activities director and another $28,834 for the rec director, he said. 
If the district were to fund a full-time rec director, LaCroix said, it would be looking at a wage of at least $46,000 a year, or $70,000 with benefits. If that that individual were to work nights, LaCroix said, the cost would be $62,000, or $90,000 with benefits. He said that the district would require over $50,000 in new money for the position. 
“This is something we have to look at. Jessica’s (Bettorf) contract is done the end of June,” LaCroix said. Bettorf is the current rec director.
Bettorf asked school trustees whether a new position would be created on June 30, with her would no longer the director, and whether she would have to reapply for the new position. 
“That is my impression,” Trustee Tom Wright said. “We are out of budgeted money to pay you as of June 30. The city has selected not to continue, and this would not be the same contract you are hired under now.” 
Wright said that, to his understanding, the position and job description would change
and be different than that Bettorf is currently acting under. 
LaCroix said that the primary issue is access to school and recreational facilities between 7 and 9 p.m. He said that Bettorf was not interested in working that late. 
“If we want to change those dynamics, we have to be forthcoming with that,” LaCroix said. 
LaCroix also said that Bettorf often had to deal with two entities who wanted to use the facilities but that were not using proper avenues to reserve the space. 
“The only people that could get the gym were school people, and others could never have access,” LaCroix said. “I am not sure how much we can truly bite off. In Jessica’s defense, when there is more people, it is more dynamic and harder to work with. If we combine the middle school activities director and the rec director, that is one less fight of who is going to be where.”
According to the LaCroix, the city did not feel it was getting its money’s worth.
“The city did not address any of the concerns they had, they just said they weren’t getting the bang for their buck, and we have to come up with the solution,” LaCroix added. 
LaCroix said that the position he has in mind looks a lot different than the current rec director’s and includes some swimming responsibilities, extending gym use until later in the evening and adding activities director responsibilities. 
“If we can only afford half time, would you be interested in keeping your job?” asked Trustee Dana Gordon of Bettorf. 
“Yes, but I am not willing to work until 9 p.m. every night. I am willing to sometimes, and I am willing to be part time if there is a compromise there,” Bettorf said. 
Wright suggested that the district hire someone for 200 nights a year for three hours a night, paying them $25 an hour to keep the gym open. He noted that this would cost the district roughly $19,000.
“If that is our need, that time of day. I don’t know if that is doable,” Wright said. “$19,000 is a doable number to get someone out there, but it is not a full-time job, although it is a decent wage. It is 9 at night, though.” 
Trustee Jason Jenkins said that Wright’s wage idea did not include the headache that the position would entail. 
“That is a nightmare, and whoever goes into it is going to be pulling their hair out. They are not going to be able to get these groups to agree on anything,” Jenkins said. “For me, it is something we need to erase off the board and start fresh, go over from A to Z.”
“Like Brad said, we have several options,” Jenkins added. 
He said that part of the issue is going to be meeting with the different groups that use the facilities and set down some ground rules for use of the facilities. 
Trustee Dana Mann-Tavegia also suggested that once the district figures out what to do about the position that all the entities and groups be invited to a meeting to go over the rules and understand who is in charge. 
“We can make someone sign something saying who is responsible for making sure the group is in the right place at the right time, someone to communicate with our person.
I think we need to make that really clear,” Mann-Tavegia said. “If the city is bailing out and wants nothing to do with it, we might not be able to do as much, maybe we can’t give them Friday nights. Maybe they need a little of the pain.”