MEDINA — The Medina Community Recreation Center will increase membership rates by 4 percent and cut one full­-time staff member in 2011 to tighten its budget.

City Council voted unani­mously at a meeting Monday night on both measures, which will result in Facility Manager Doug Maxwell losing his job.

Medina Community Recreation Center workers move cardio equipment into the newly renovated fitness room after hours earlier this year. (GAZETTE FILE PHOTO)

“I don’t take this decision lightly at all,” Ward 3 Council­man Mark Kolesar told Maxwell at the meeting.

Previously, Recreation Cen­ter Director Mike Wright said the position would cost about $500,000 in salary and benefits over five years.

Prior to the vote, Maxwell said he thought spending could have been cut without cutting a full-time job. He expressed concern that losing his expertise would hurt the overall quality of the facility.

“I fear this is the start of a downward spiral for the rec center,” he said.

Wright told Council the cen­ter made $93,000 in cuts, including $70,000 in part-time staffing, in 2010.

The rate increase will affect all resident, universal and cor­porate memberships and is a revision of a previous proposal to raise rates by 8 percent.

Annual resident rates are now $218 for adults, up from $210, and $502 per family, up from $483.

In addition to increasing utility and chemical costs, Wright has said that revenues are down. In 2010, the revenue estimate was $2.65 million but spending came in at $2.84 mil­lion.

“It is unfortunate that the rec center is forced to raise rates for our members,” Wright said in a release. “But the fact is that the MCRC is set up as an enter­prise fund where our revenues must equal our expenses. We have drastically reduced our budget to cut expenses, but sadly rates had to increase.”

Contact Lisa Hlavinka at (330) 721-4048 or lhlavinka@medina-gazette.com.