PERRY -- Recreation fees in Perry have been changed as part of a fee schedule adjustment City Council recently passed.

The fees were part of a resolution City Council unanimously approved Oct. 16 that included recreation and rental fees, as well as a new stormwater utility fee. Mayor Jimmy Faircloth said the city regularly adjusts fees for anything from services to recreation.

“The purpose is to cover the costs of the program,” Faircloth said of the recreation fees.

In accordance with the resolution, fees for basketball participants and indigent families were changed.

For basketball, the 7- to 17-year-old age group was split into two groups. There is now a 7- to 12-year-old group and a 13- to 17-year-old group. The former will pay $60 and the latter will pay $70. The fee was $90 when the two groups were combined.

Participants from families that qualify as indigent are now required to pay half of the participant cost. Indigent participants previously paid $10. This applies to all sports.

Faircloth said the increase is not meant to restrict participation, and families whose children may not be able to pay may still petition City Council and the Recreation Department for an adjusted figure.

“We try to hold costs down as much as possible,” Faircloth said.

Also, the rental fee for the community room at the Perry Arts Center was increased from $70 a day to $80 a day. The main hall was increased from $120 a day to $136 a day. The night costs were also adjusted, with nonprofit organizations set to pay less than for-profit groups.

The resolution also included the creation of a $2 per month stormwater utility fee, which will be used to pay for drainage projects.

To contact writer Christina M. Wright, call 256-9685.