The Niceville City Council voted last night not to enact a resolution that would’ve increased monthly fees for members of the Niceville Senior Center, instead sending the resolution back to the City Manager and Senior Center staff for further consideration after public input. The appropriate staff should bring a revised recommendation back to the council “as soon as possible,” city attorney Steven Hall said.
Currently, membership to the Senior Center is free for Niceville residents and $15 per month for those outside city limits, with daily and annual payment options available. The proposed resolution would’ve imposed an $8-per-month fee for Niceville residents, and raised the out-of-city membership fee to $20 per month.
“If they pay annually, it’s a 10% discount, so it’s $86 [for city residents] and $216 [for non-city residents] in my proposal,” City Manager David Deitch said.
The proposed fees would generate revenue for the city to invest in the Senior Center’s future, as it’s currently housed in “temporary trailers,” Councilman Douglas Tolbert said.
“It’s incredible what this Senior Center offers, but this Senior Center has a limited lifespan in front of us,” Tolbert said. “It’ll be fine for most people in this room, but folks younger than that who will age into this center will need to age into a different building, and part of that will be a modernization attempt. … This is an initial step to move forward with trying to make long-term sustainability.”
However, Senior Center members from both in and outside of Niceville packed the City Council chambers last night, filling nearly every seat — and most of them disagreed with the notion that hiking membership fees was a sustainable choice.
With so many advocates in attendance, the council decided to allow public input before voting on the Senior Center fee amendments. But first, Mayor Pro-Tem Cathy Alley shared her thoughts and took a stand against the membership hike.
“Our senior center is not just a building; it is a place where people come together, stay active, build friendships, and make connections to the community. And these are not strangers to our community; these are people who helped build Niceville. … Many of them have spent a lifetime giving to this community, now we’re asking them to pay more to participate in the community service that we provide. I am not opposed to being financially responsible. I am opposed to looking at our seniors as a revenue source before we have looked at every other option. But I don’t believe the answer should begin with putting another financial burden on the very people who are already giving much to this community. For these reasons, I cannot support this function.”
Senior Center representatives elected Niceville resident Vickie Ritchson to come before the council as a spokeswoman, who gave her ten minutes to speak.
“There is a reason and a need for due process in this matter,” Ritchson said “Seniors make up 38% of the tax-paying citizens and need to be heard because the proposed rate hikes directly affect them. Most senior citizens are retired and living on fixed incomes. Charging a fee can be a financial burden for too many.”
Ritchson said rate hikes may cause seniors to withdraw their membership and isolate themselves, leading to mental health issues for those who use the center as a means of connection.
“The fee of 120 or even 96 [dollars] per year for the city residents paying property tax to the city of Niceville is unreasonable because no other city recreational area, library or park checks IDs, charges for basic use or excludes users because of where they live,” Ritchson said. “Instead of putting the financial burden on seniors, the city should look for some creative solutions for revenue, like grants, annual financial donations from individuals, endowments, corporate sponsorships in exchange for recognition [or] special donations to cover parks in exchange for advertising the donor’s name during the funded period.”
After hearing Ritchson’s presentation and allowing other members of the public to speak briefly, the council discussed specifics regarding potential fee changes, including ideas about discounts for annual membership or a household rate.
Finally, after more than an hour of discussion, the council considered a motion.
“The council has a motion before it with a second to return this item, this resolution, back to the manager and and related staff for the Senior Center to further consider the input from the public at this meeting and any other input that they choose to take, and bring a recommendation back to this council as soon as possible.”
The council voted unanimously to pass this motion, allowing Senior Center fees to remain unchanged for now.
As consideration continues among Senior Center members, Alley urges constituents to engage with city government rather than the cyber realm.
“Florida Sunshine Law limits us from meeting together privately or discussing issues that may come before the council outside of properly noticed meetings,” she said. “That isn’t because we don’t care; it is because we are required to follow the law. … So before criticizing us on social media, I ask you to come and talk to us. Come to a meeting. Ask questions. Look at the budget. Get involved, because we do care. We spend hours for this community. We want to keep it safe, secure and family-friendly while being responsible with our tax dollars.”
