Lawrence city commissioners concerned by proposal to charge entry fees at recreation centers

City leaders expressed concern about charging entry fees for the city’s recreation facilities, and officials said they would have to weigh such changes against other options to balance the budget as part of the upcoming 2020 budget process.

At the Lawrence City Commission’s meeting Tuesday, Lawrence Parks and Recreation Department Director Derek Rogers told the commission the slower-than-anticipated sales tax growth was requiring the department to spend its reserves and that it was not on track to have a balanced budget without changes. Specifically, Rogers said that the department spent about $86,000 of its reserves in 2018 and $324,000 of its reserves this year.