Cheshire Town Council Reviews Recreation, Pool, and Arts Place Budgets at Arts Place
Town Council · Meeting of April 10, 2025
CT CHESHIRE — Cheshire Town Council digs into recreation, pool, and Arts Place budgets with $163,000 revenue gap to close before April 22 vote. Meeting in the newly opened Arts Place facility, the council heard that Recreation Director John and staff identified $24,614 in additional cuts beyond the town manager's recommended $938,389 recreation budget, bringing it to $913,775, while a mill rate worksheet revealed a separate $63,000 shortfall in projected recreation revenue and a council goal of trimming the community pool subsidy by $100,000 — from $500,000 to $400,000. Pool Director Sheila reported that adult non-resident day pass rates have not changed since 2012, and day-pass data showed non-residents outnumbering residents more than three-to-one, prompting resident Lou Todisco to call the town's subsidy of out-of-towners "horrendous" and urge doubling the adult non-resident day pass from $14 to $28.
Arts Place Director Joanne reported $156,000 in revenue with 11 weeks remaining against a $175,000 target, and fireworks were effectively canceled for the coming year unless the Chamber of Commerce raises $8,000 in private sponsorship.
In the full story:
- The complete report — 1,074 words
Source: the Town Council meeting of April 10, 2025, reported from the official video recording and transcript.
CHESHIRE — April 10, 2025 — The Cheshire Town Council held a joint special meeting with its Budget Committee at the newly opened Arts Place facility Thursday evening, working through proposed fiscal year 2025-26 operating budgets for the Recreation Department, the community pool, and Arts Place, with council members pressing staff to find new revenue and cut expenses across all three departments.
Town Manager Sean presented a recommended Recreation Department budget of $938,389. Recreation Director John and department administrative staff Elizabeth identified an additional $24,614 in cuts beyond what the town manager had already recommended, bringing the revised departmental total to $913,775. Separately, council members identified a revenue gap of $63,000 in the pool and recreation budgets that the town would need to close either through fee increases or expense reductions before final budget adoption.
The Full Story
Council Chair Peter Talbot opened the meeting by thanking Arts Place Director Joanne for hosting and noting the quality of the facility, which the council visited for the first time as a full body. The meeting, held at 7:39 p.m., drew staff from the Recreation Department, the community pool, and Arts Place, as well as members of the Park and Recreation Commission, including Chairman Dr. Pat Duffy and longtime member Mike O'Donnell. Environment Commission member Karen Schnitzer also attended.
Recreation Director John walked the council through the department's digital management system, which replaced a printed and mailed seasonal brochure at a savings of more than $30,000 per year in printing and assembly costs alone, with postage previously carried in a separate budget line. The department reported that program registrations and revenue are trending higher than prior fiscal years. Staff member Krista Massey manages all social media marketing on a part-time basis, the director said, and the department's website now logs as many as 1,500 to 2,000 visits on high-traffic days.
On the expense side, Elizabeth walked through specific line reductions. Adventure Camp staffing was reduced from 12 to 10 employees, capping weekly enrollment at 80 campers instead of the previous ceiling of 100. Hours and staffing at Mixville Park were trimmed, with one ranger instead of two on weekdays. Tennis camp weeks were scaled back to avoid adding new staff for an earlier school-year end. The department also cut professional memberships, conference fees, and entertainment at Mixville Adventure Camp. Celebrations line items were reduced, including $2,500 from Memorial Day Parade performers and $2,000 in fireworks-related costs — $500 in shared insurance with the Chamber of Commerce and $1,500 for Friday night Fall Festival entertainment — with the council directing the chamber to seek full sponsorship for those events.
"We went back again after Sean made his cuts to our budget to look at and squeeze as much things that we need to take maybe another look at," John told the council.
Council members spent considerable time on revenue questions. The council had previously assumed $500,000 in Recreation Department revenue in a mill rate worksheet, against a departmental projection of $437,000, leaving a $63,000 gap to close. Council members discussed a range of options including pavilion rental fee increases — rates that have not been raised in approximately 10 years — and per-player field use fees, though a survey of surrounding towns found that Berlin, Wallingford, and Southington do not charge recognized youth or adult organizations field fees.
Community pool Director Sheila presented her department's budget, noting significant cost pressures from minimum wage increases, chemical price increases — chlorine costs have risen from roughly $80 per bucket when she began to $265 currently, with the facility using 200 to 250 buckets per year — and elevated electricity costs stemming from an inoperative co-generation boiler unit that has been down for nearly two years. A contractor has been awarded a bid for repairs, with a pre-construction meeting scheduled; once the co-gen unit is restored, Sheila said electricity costs should fall from nearly $100,000 per year to approximately $35,000.
Council member Lou Todisco, speaking from the audience as a resident with an address on Maple Avenue, argued that out-of-town pool day pass rates — $14 for an adult — have not been raised since 2012 and that non-residents account for far more daily users than residents: 3,128 adult non-resident day passes versus 1,073 adult resident day passes in the most recent tally, and 4,785 youth and senior non-resident passes versus 2,344 for residents. He proposed raising the adult non-resident day pass to $28, limiting non-resident family passes to four members rather than six, and exploring food truck rentals and in-facility advertising as additional revenue streams.
"I do mind that we're subsidizing people out-of-town. I think it's horrendous," Todisco said.
Arts Place Director Joanne reported that the facility is 11 weeks from the end of the fiscal year and has already recorded $156,000 in class and workshop revenue, leaving the department $18,000 short of its $175,000 annual revenue target. She said she is confident the gap can be closed and asked the council to push the target to $180,000 for fiscal year 2025-26. She also requested $2,400 to revive Arts Day, a community event that ran for 32 years before being canceled. Spring Session One currently hosts 32 classes with 225 weekly students ranging from preschool through adult.
"Things are going well," Joanne told the council, noting the department added an administrative assistant position and that the Wednesday ribbon-cutting for Arts Place's Memorial Hall drew the state Department of Economic and Community Development commissioner.
The council set its next budget workshop for Tuesday, April 15, with final budget adoption scheduled for April 22.
Why It Matters
The council is working toward a fiscal year 2025-26 budget vote on April 22. The Recreation and pool departments together carry a combined revenue shortfall assumption of more than $163,000 that must be resolved before adoption — $63,000 on the recreation side and a council target of reducing the pool subsidy from $500,000 to $400,000. Fee schedules for pool passes have not been updated since 2012, and Recreation Department pavilion rates have not changed in approximately 10 years. Any fee changes the council approves would need to take effect by July 1 to count in the new fiscal year. The council also canceled fireworks for the coming year unless the Chamber of Commerce raises $8,000 in private sponsorship.
Key Motions & Votes
- Action: Adjournment of the joint special meeting Tally: Approved unanimously
Source Cheshire's community access TV: Town Council meeting, April 10, 2025