At the Great Bend City Council meeting on May 1, councilmember Cory Urban requested that gym memberships for employees be brought back for discussion. Great Bend Human Resources Director Randy Keasling will report to the board on the upcoming meeting on May 15 at 6:30 p.m. at City Hall.
For the past couple of years, the City of Great Bend has paid for a single membership to Club 1 Fitness for all their employees. All new hires have to sign an acknowledgment that the city pays for a single membership because the benefit is a taxable fringe benefit through the IRS, meaning all employees must pay the tax on the membership. All existing employees see the approximately $128 gym-membership tax come out of their checks in July.
As of now, the gym membership program with Club 1 is scheduled to expire at the end of June.
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The city sent a request for information on pricing from area fitness centers such as Anytime Fitness, Club 1, The Fieldhouse, Great Bend Recreation Commission, Image Total Fitness, Inspire Fitness and Willpower F.A.T.