Santa Clara's senior center no longer charges membership fees. The City Council voted unanimously on Oct. 20 to end the $12 basic and $37 premium memberships, San José Spotlight reported. The city estimates the change will cut annual revenue by about $91,000.
The city also plans to spend about $453,480 on immediate repairs to the center and to expand pool hours from 28 to 38 a week beginning in January. That is still short of the 50.5 hours offered before the pandemic, Spotlight reported. The council item, listed on the city's meeting agenda, also covers credits for seniors who paid memberships between July 1 and Oct. 20.
Wanda Buck, 87, has pushed to eliminate the fees since 2022. "The city promised that they would never charge membership fees," she told Spotlight.
Councilmember Suds Jain voted yes but argued the money could have paid for more lifeguards. "If we took that money and we hired more lifeguards, we could extend hours," he said.