Credited with an assist

Perry Village Council approves payment of annual subsidy to Perry recreation district

Perry Village Council has approved payment of an annual subsidy that the community’s government provides to the Perry Area Joint Recreation District.

However, legislators didn’t give the go-ahead until discussing how the funding request, which was sent out in January, never made it to the council floor until August.

“Somehow or another, with all this COVID stuff, we forgot to put (a resolution on the subsidy) on for its regular readings,” Councilman Phil Cassella said during the Aug. 13 council meeting. Cassella also serves as a member of the district’s recreation board.

At the same meeting, council unanimously approved a resolution authorizing payment of a $10,000 annual subsidy to the recreation district. Council also waived the rule requiring three separate readings for the resolution, instead declaring an emergency and allowing it to take effect immediately upon passage.

Cassella explained that Perry and North Perry villages and Perry Township all have traditionally supplied financial subsidies to help the rec district pay for insurance, employee’s wages and salaries, and overhead.

Operating costs for the rec district, on the other hand, are covered through a fee structure.

“Which means actually that those who participate are paying for all the operational costs for the sports themselves,” Cassella said.

The district, which offers youth and senior community programs, serves the three communities and Perry Schools.

Perry Schools also used to pay annual subsidies to the rec district, but hasn’t done so in recent years, Recreation Board Chairman Rick Amos said in a separate interview. However, Amos, who also serves as chairman of

Perry Township trustees, said the school district does provide in-kind contributions by allowing its athletic fields and buildings to be used for rec district activities.

Cassella, at the Aug. 13 meeting, said letters were sent to Perry and North Perry villages and Perry Township in January, offering reminders about the subsidies for 2020. Village Mayor James Gessic said that if a letter was sent, he didn’t see it.

In addition, village Chief Fiscal Officer Joanne Clapp said council did pass a resolution earlier this year appointing Cassella as the community’s representative to the rec board. But she said there was no legislation dealing with the annual subsidy. Councilman Rick Walker recommended that the payment still be approved.

“I think that the rec district has been a great program over the course of many years, and I think it’s right that we should pay into it,” he said.

North Perry Village Council approved its 2020 subsidy in March. It totaled $10,000, and a resolution documenting its passage stated that $5,000 of the funding would go to youth recreation and $5,000 to the Perry Senior Center.

While the rec board requested that Perry Township contribute a $40,000 subsidy in 2020, the community’s trustees voted to make an initial payment of $20,000 for the time being, Amos said. He noted that trustees want to conduct additional discussion before releasing the other $20,000.

Trustees’ resolution to approve the $20,000 subsidy in July directed that the funding be divided evenly between youth recreation and senior citizens programs.

In January 2019, Perry Township trustees voted to provide a $40,000 subsidy to the rec district. That allocation also was split 50/50 to benefit seniors and children.