By Chris Hagan
Review Staff Writer
In a request from the Village of Lake Orion, Orion Township officials decided during Monday’s board meeting to contribute $2,000 to the village’s swim program.
The money will allow the swim program to stay afloat and also will allow township residents to pay the same fees for the program as a village resident.
Currently, township and outside residents are charged $80 for the two-week program as opposed to $50 for a village resident.
A point of contention during the discussion was that there was no cost benefit to being an Orion Township resident as they were paying the same registration fee as residents from outside communities.
The township’s participation in the program would be a reimbursement of cost up to and including $2,000.
Under the new plan, a township resident would pay the $50 village rate at the time of registration. After the program is finished, the village will send the township an invoice of all participating township residents and the township would cut a check to the village reimbursing the additional $30 for each township resident.
‘We’re encourage participation in the swim program but township residents aren’t paying a premium to do that,? Barnett said.
The goal for the reimbursement is so the township isn’t paying a blind $2,000, they’re only paying for the reimbursement of participating township residents.
For the 2013 swim program season there was 42 participants. Fifteen were village residents, 21 township residents paid and six residents from outside communities.