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Jefferson bringing in extra bucks by renting out facilities
City leases out vacant buildings to ease big budget cuts
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The Jefferson city and school governments use their facilities, like the civic center, to bring in extra income to make up for state budget cuts. - photo by SARA GUEVARA

JEFFERSON — In the face of state budget cuts and lower Local Option Sales Tax collections, Jefferson city and education officials have found other ways to bring in additional revenue.

Instead of letting city buildings sit vacant when school isn’t in session or when there isn’t a planned government meeting, both the city of Jefferson and the Jefferson City school system rent out their buildings to the public.

“We rent out the cafeteria on average of six to eight times per year for various church dinners and class reunions,” said Kevin Smith, Jefferson High School principal. “The rental fee that is charged offsets the utility costs and any food service personnel that is needed to be in the kitchen for equipment.”

Based on the $150 rental cost, that brings the school around $900-$1,200 a year. Other school system facilities are also available for rental — including the football stadium, gymnasiums and even the classrooms — at costs that range from $20 to $500.

The money collected from rentals is paid to the individual school. The collected amounts may not buy a new school bus or pay for the addition of a classroom, the fees can help pay for things like awards for students or even books for the library.

The school system also brings in additional revenue by charging tuition for out-of-district students.

“In 2004, we started charging $600 per year tuition for out-of-district students in grades K through 5; if they started with us before 2004 they were grandfathered in,” said Kim Navas, school system chief financial officer. “The number of out-of-district students increases every year, last year we collected $84,000 in tuition.”

Because revenue generated from tuition has been steady since 2004, Navas says the income has become a part of the system’s budget to help cover expected costs.

The city of Jefferson also rents out its facilities to generate extra income.

According to staff reports, the Jefferson Civic Center and clubhouse generate thousands of dollars worth of income. In May alone, civic center rentals generated $5,298, while renting the clubhouse earned the city $1,240 in revenue.

Facility rentals not only help pay for the upkeep of the buildings, they also help fund employee salaries.