Civic groups have long been paying the town of Signal Mountain "in kind" for the use of the MACC facilities. Most of the groups, such as the local Lions and garden clubs, pay in kind by doing a service of their choosing for the center or for the community, Town Manager Boyd Veal explained.
But he and the Town Council said at their most recent work session that the town needs to define what those in kind payments should look like, as well as how often the contracts and payments should be renewed. Also, Veal said, the term "civic organization" needs to be further defined.
Veal said he's trying to balance generation of revenue with maintaining utilization of the MACC.
"My position is doing everything we can to address both of those," he said.
He added that entities using the MACC facilities to make a profit, such as teachers of classes or directors of summer camps, should obviously have to pay the normal fee. The fee ranges from $25-$125 an hour, depending on the space rental, plus expenses for after-hours staff and technicians.
"But if you have a group that just needs a place to sit and do what they do ... my preference would be to find some middle ground," Veal said, referring to groups like the high school chess club. "I think we get as many people in that building using it as we can; it becomes a more viable part of the community when you do that."
"Where it's fuzzy is these civic organizations, and I think we need to have a written agreement with each of them," said Councilman Dick Gee, who serves as the council's liaison with the MACC Board.
Veal noted that the in kind contributions civic groups make would not necessarily just have to be toward the MACC. The Garden Club, for example, works to beautify the community.
"It's not just about what they do for the MACC but what they do for the town," he said.
Mayor Bill Lusk suggested a customized contract with each civic group that uses the MACC, and Allen said each contract needs to be subjective.
"It behooves everyone to get as many people in that building as possible," said Vice Mayor Susan Robertson. "If you don't go in you don't know what's going on there."
Veal said he plans to work out the details and come back to the council with specifics for plans moving forward.