The Olds Minor Hockey Association had late fees incurred on its ice rental bills waived but Olds council was clear that it would only be a one-time bailout. Coun. Rudy Durieux put forward a motion at a council meeting on Feb.
The Olds Minor Hockey Association had late fees incurred on its ice rental bills waived but Olds council was clear that it would only be a one-time bailout.
Coun. Rudy Durieux put forward a motion at a council meeting on Feb. 24 to make the penalty forgiveness a single offer, saying that sports organizations need to take responsibility for their financial situations.
"I have a bit of difficulty with these outstanding late penalties," Durieux said. "I understand that council has done this in the past for at least one other organization but I’m not sure we put full responsibility on organizations that come looking for this kind of help when we waive these fees."
"Just to let the organization know – and we respect and we appreciate the tremendous work that goes into that organization for the children of Olds," he continued. "But there has to be some responsibility in my opinion so I would suggest that this would simply be a one-time … bailout."
Since 2011, the OMHA has run up late fees on its monthly ice bills. At the town’s policies and priorities meeting on Feb. 18, the group asked council to waive $6,877 in penalties.
The OMHA also asked council to forgive a small amount incurred for February this year.
The motion to waive the fees was passed with the amendment that it would be "without precedent, as a one-time measure to assist a minor sport association."
Another councillor who voiced support for the motion was Coun. Harvey Walsh.
"I agree with that motion. Those were the same concerns that I had," Walsh said. "I wasn’t expecting to be waiving fees for 2014 given the presentation that they made. It caught me a little bit by surprise that soon they’d be looking for waiving of more penalties."
Walsh added that council would only be saving the 280 hockey registrants this year about $25 per player.
He also questioned how, if the OMHA was current with the town on its accounts, it was still incurring late fees this year.
Garth Lucas, the town’s director of corporate services, explained that penalties were being charged on top of the late fees.
"Because these penalties, they’re still outstanding from 2011, they’re overdue. So the penalties are incurring penalties."
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