The Coming Death of the Ozark Community Center: Proposed 72% Increase in Fees

If you are having problems getting enough people in the door to pay the bills at the Ozark Community Center in Ozark, Missouri, why do you think an up to 72% increase is a solution to save the OC. Heavily in debt, Ozarks desire to outdo Nixa has once again come with a huge cost. As nice of a facility as the OC is, it's been a huge, controversial failure.

The Ozark City Council will vote next week on a measure that will raise fees in hopes of catching up the OC, which is behind in payments by an astonishing amount. What does a 72% fee increase really mean? It means I cancel my membership and I am sure many others do to.

For instance, the family yearly fee will raise from $425 a year to $624 a year. A single adult membership will increase from $275 a year to $456 a year. At least one alderman gets it. Rick Gardner says the increases seem high, and he wonders if people will continue to renew with those kind of fee increases. Like I said, I won't.

Here's something else the city of Ozark is forgetting. Come January 1, our federal taxes are going to see a sharp increase that is going to take nearly $3,000 of the average persons disposable income. Now is not the time for fee increases. Now is the time to get creative and encourage people to come through those doors.

The OC has been a total disaster financially, and raising the fees to the levels the aldermen have discussed is going to run people off and force them to join the health club in Nixa, which in turn destroys the projected revenue they believe they can bring in. The city should have never entered the subsidized water aerobics business in the first place, but we always have to one up Nixa in this town.