Council approved the 2019 fee and fine schedule at their Dec. 10 meeting, with most fees and fines increasing by 1.9 per cent from 2018 levels, the same amount the property taxes went up this year.
Some exceptions to the general 1.9 per cent increase include the Norplex Pool rates increasing so they are similar to fees in other communities, as well as the rental fee for the Bill Comaskey Wellness Centre, which is now $52.37 per hour or $419.06 for eight hours, and the cost to rent tables and chairs for use outside the Thompson Regional Community Centre (TRCC), which have also had a $250 damage deposit added.
Norplex Pool drop-in rates will be $5.05 for children and seniors and $7.30 for adults, with the family fee going to $19.85. Three-month passes will range from $66.50 for a senior to $116.87 for an adult and $306.94 for a family.
Tables to be used outside the TRCC are $10.50 each compared to $3.72 for those remaining inside the building, while chairs going outside are $2.63 each compared to 66 cents apiece for those staying in the building.
The cost of public works equipment and labour, as well as for using the landfill, have remained at 2018 levels, as has the cost of advertising in the TRCC, though new fees ranging from $826.88 to $2,811.38 have been added for six-month terms.
New fees include an hourly rate of $505 for the first hour and $203 for each additional hour for the use of the command vehicle for public safety, a $50 fee for ambulance pickups from medevac flights on the north side of the airport, and a $500 access fee for the snow dump site.
Fees for transient traders in the hobbiest/artisan category were cut in half, from $114 to $57 for three days, $304 to $152 for a month and $884 to $442 for a year.
Fees and fines are reviewed every year buy all standing committees of council to ensure that they accurately reflect operating costs.
The 2019 fee and fine schedule takes effect Jan. 1 and can be viewed here.
