Children could swim for free for two months over summer at the Orange Aquatic Centre under a plan before Orange City Council.
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As part of changes to fees and charges it is proposed a $100 Aquatic Centre Summer Pass for children aged 5-18 years would be introduced.
However, council would allow parents to pay for the pass using one of the state government's $100 Active Kids Program vouchers.
The government provides two vouchers a year per child to help parents, guardians and carers meet the costs of children playing sport or being involved in recreation activities.
A report to council's meeting on Tuesday night said the vouchers were available to children who had a current Medicare card, were enrolled in school from kindergarten to Year 12 and included children home-schooled or enrolled in secondary school education at TAFE NSW.
"The [Summer Pass] will entitle the holder to unlimited entry and participation in at least one structured program per week," it said.
"This will include options such as introduction to swimming, participation in water polo instruction courses or utilising of inflatables."
Council would need to put the plan on public exhibition for 28 days.
Other fee changes proposed include a 50 per cent cut in the cost to hire the Orange Civic Theatre in a bid to encourage its use following the COVID-19 pandemic.
It is also proposed to increase the fee for de-sexing animals from $50 to $60 and introduce a $30 fee to microchip animals at the council pound.
The microchipping would be a new service offered by council. It is usually done by veterinarians.
The report said the theatre had been forced to cancel or re-schedule 112 shows since the pandemic restrictions started in March.
"Orange Civic Theatre is recommending a proactive approach to increase client confidence to proceed with bookings or shows and to increase utilisation on dates where shows have been postponed to 2021," it said.
The report said hirers were reluctant to book the theatre at present partly because social distancing restrictions created smaller crowd sizes which made shows not financially viable.
Other reasons included concerns for future lock-down, concerns for cast and crew who may be vulnerable to the virus and concerns for general public health and safety.
The reduction would apply until March 31.
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