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Make charges equitable
You may want to start by asking which assets you think should be accessible freely by right. This might include:
• playing in a park
• access to a ball and equipment to play
• playing in an organized league
• seeing art in a museum (whose collection may well be mostly donated for public enjoyment)
• seeing a play in a theater that has received high levels of public funding
• meeting friends in a senior center
Then think about whether your charge can easily be paid by certain groups within your community, such as:
• people below, on, or near the poverty line
• children
• the unemployed
• retirees
• current/former armed forces personnel
In the case of the Michigan state park fee and the Baltimore senior centers, the central belief is that the level
charged is affordable. This is to say, those who can afford car ownership should be able to afford a $10 annual
park fee and, similarly, $10-15 for a year’s entry to a senior center is not considered a vast sum (especially if there
are options for paying by installment).
To ascertain whether people find something affordable or not you could:
• consult with users before introducing;
• survey people that might be expected to use them; or
• decide that no one should have to pay more than a certain percentage of a living wage.
If after this engagement process you decide to charge a fee, you can also offer fee waivers and scholarships for
those genuinely unable to pay a charge. There are three main ways to administer these waivers:
• set free/reduced entry times — have certain times or days that are free to all;
• trust-based — if people say they deserve a concession or fit a certain group, take them at their word; or
• means-tested — but preferably, to avoid stigma, where no one knows who gets waivers/scholarships.
79 | The New Barn-Raising