A partnership between the city and Tennis Yukon is in everybody's best interest, it was suggested Tuesday night by a senior city official.

Linda Rapp, the city's acting director of operations, told council that agreements between non-profit organizations and municipalities to manage publicly owned facilities are common elsewhere in the country.

Entering into a long-term arrangement with Tennis Yukon would be beneficial financially and recreationally, Rapp said.

Administration is recommending council direct city staff to begin negotiating a lease arrangement for the city-owned tennis courts at the Mount McIntyre Recreation Centre.

Doing so, Rapp said, would provide Tennis Yukon with certainty, and the ability to secure financing through other sources to assist with its maintenance program.

As it is, the courts are in desperate need of a $44,000 facelift which the city has denied in its last three annual budget debates, council was reminded.

The matter will be back before council next Monday for a vote.

Stacy Lewis, president of Tennis Yukon, said without a lease arrangement, and without some sort of tenure or control over the facility, the organization is unable to secure maintenance funding through other avenues.

If a lease arrangement is agreed to, Lewis told council, the organization fully expects to secure financial assistance to help with the resurfacing and other maintenance duties.

Normally courts of this type are resurfaced every five to seven years, but nothing major has been done to the four Mount McIntyre courts since they were installed in 2000, Lewis said.

As it is, sweeping the courts, hanging nets and windscreens in the spring and taking them down in the fall, along with regular maintenance and minor repairs through the summer season, are looked after by volunteers from the club, council was told.

Lewis said by providing Tennis Yukon with more management authority, operation of the facility would be improved, programming would expand, and the tennis community would continue to grow and thrive.

On the other hand, Rapp told council, not entering into a partnership could threaten the vibrance of the local organization and the vitality of the very courts themselves if there's no one around to use and maintain them.

The city does put some money into the courts annually, but nothing dramatic, she explained.

Rapp suggested if the courts fall much further downhill, they could landslide into a facility that isn't of much value to anybody.

Entering into a lease would likely result in some fundamental scheduling changes, and maybe fees for members and non-members who want to book a guaranteed time, just as they do in other jurisdictions, Lewis said.

She said any revenue generated from the courts would flow directly into the maintenance budget.

Said Lewis: "A management agreement between the City of Whitehorse and Tennis Yukon would provide many benefits to the city and the community, namely: formalizing responsibilities for the management of the courts, which would then give Tennis Yukon the role necessary to successfully pursue alternative funding sources to help realize the resurfacing project; and would give the City an active, committed partner to run the facility, resulting in a fully optimized active city asset in terms of participation and programming.”