City Manager Mike Bennett says the city will keep the center at 550 Ouray Ave. and cover about $100,000 a year in building costs. The 2027 budget it came from still has one workshop and two hearings to go.
The Senior Recreation Center will stay at 550 Ouray Ave. City Manager Mike Bennett announced Wednesday that the city will write a new agreement with the nonprofit that runs the center, dropping a proposal in his recommended 2027 budget that had drawn heavy public opposition.
The city's Oct. 21 announcement says the recommended budget will be revised to cover about $100,000 a year in facility and utility costs for the center in 2027. The city and the nonprofit's board aim to have the new agreement in place by January.
The proposal was part of the city's attempt to close a structural deficit it says has been building since 2021. Over that stretch, city expenses rose 53 percent while revenue grew 30 percent. Bennett's release frames the senior center item as one of several difficult cuts that looked reasonable on paper.
The release also thanks residents who pushed back and draws a line at personal attacks, saying it was constructive feedback that changed the outcome.
The senior center was one line in a larger budget that City Council has not yet adopted. The city's schedule has one workshop left and two public hearings:
Public comment is taken at the two regular council meetings. Agendas, packets and video are on the city's Agendas and Minutes page.
Watch the Oct. 26 workshop for how the $100,000 gets backfilled and whether other proposed cuts shift as a result. The new operating agreement with the nonprofit is due by January 2027.
