Recreation fees are headed up for non-residents who want to play sports in Owen Sound.
City Council has agreed to hike the annual fee from 75 dollars to 100 dollars, with the new rates effective immediately.
Owen Sound Director of Community Services Pam Coulter says the new rate recognizes the cost that city taxpayers pay to support minor sports programs.
Coulter admits one of the biggest impacts will be on lacrosse players, since most communities do not have teams and kids commute to Owen Sound to play the sport.
The new rates will be in effect for Minor Sports Registration tonight from 5:30 PM to 8 PM at the Bayshore Community Centre.
However, residents in Georgian Bluffs and Meaford are exempt from the Rec fees.
Owen Sound has offered both communities a one year extension to their recreation agreements, and Coulter expects the two municipalities will agree to the extension.
Georgian Bluffs paid over 46 thousand dollars last year for nearly 14 hundred kids to play sports in Owen Sound, while Meaford paid the city 24 thousand dollars for some 700 kids.
Coulter says the one year extension to the recreation agreement includes a three per cent increase in what those municipalities paid in 2011.
