BOULDER, Colo. — Facing a projected multimillion-dollar deficit in the coming years, Boulder’s Parks & Recreation Department is preparing to roll out significant changes to its fee and membership structures, looking to balance its budget and better serve its visitors.
The department estimates that, without intervention, it could see a shortfall of $3.5 million by 2030 — a figure that could climb to $5.5 million the following year.
“By the time we get to 2030, we're projecting a deficit in our operating budget for the Recreation Activity Fund,” said Megann Lohman, recreation manager with Boulder Parks & Recreation.
Officials say the gap is the result of rising operating costs.
“We have higher chemical costs. We've had increases to minimum wage, increases to living wage, increases to just any materials or equipment,” Lohman said. “All that stuff adds up, and we have to offset those increased expenses with additional revenue somehow.”
Every two years, Boulder Parks & Recreation reviews its fees to determine if revenue is keeping pace with costs.
“We routinely look at all of our fees and look at fee increases every two years,” Lohman said. “In the last few years, the expenses have [risen] at a pace faster than our user fees have been able to keep up.”
The solution, according to Lohman, is a new fee structure designed to give users more options and better value.
Under the changes, annual membership rates will remain the same for most people, but daily visitor fees will increase for adults, seniors, and children. Recreational facilities will be split into three categories: rec centers (North, East, and South), outdoor pools (Scott Carpenter and Spruce), and the Boulder Reservoir, with new membership options available for one or all.
You can review all of the proposed changes here.
“In this new model, people can just pay for what they want to use,” Lohman said. “Historically, we've sold our memberships for all of our facilities as one big package … The reality is that about two-thirds of our members only use one facility type.”
Less than 6 percent of members use all facilities, with many visiting the Boulder Reservoir only occasionally.
“It's actually better serving people, so that the people who do want to continually use select locations can at a better price, and the ones that want access to everything will have a few options of how to do that in a way that's best for them," Lohman told Denver7.
Notably, Boulder Parks & Recreation will continue to subsidize memberships for youth, seniors, and those with financial needs, with 55 percent of memberships remaining discounted or highly subsidized.
“In this new membership structure, we actually continue 100% free access to all of our recreation facilities through our financial aid program, and we will still continue to honor discounts for senior and youth memberships,” Lohman said.
One significant change is coming to pickleball and tennis courts. While drop-in sessions remain free for members, reserving a court will now incur an additional fee.
Lohman believes these adjustments are necessary to preserve essential services without across-the-board price hikes.
“If we did continue to just operate how we had been operating, everyone would be paying more, and it doesn't really help meet our goals for cost recovery at select facilities, and it just kind of passes the burden on to everyone," Lohman said. “I truly believe that by changing the way that we sell our memberships, we better serve the public… I'm hoping this helps us just be a stronger, better Parks & Recreation service into the future.”
While the new fee model is expected to close most of the budget gap, Lohman said financial challenges will persist, and the city is working on a long-term strategy to ensure the sustainability of Boulder’s parks and recreation services. The funding shortfall will not impact future construction or renovations to existing recreation centers.
You can make your voice heard at upcoming Parks & Recreation Advisory Board meetings. You can find a list of those meetings on the City of Boulder's website.
