Central Blair Recreation and Park Commission to try paying refs in cash
Program aims to help alleviate referee shortage
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The Central Blair Recreation and Park Commission will conduct a pilot program designed to determine whether paying referees in cash will help alleviate a referee shortage.
Commission referees now must wait up to two weeks for checks to be deposited into their accounts, according to Executive Director Mike Hofer.
Commission leadership is aware that cash payments are "a big red flag," but the commission will put safeguards in place to ensure against problems, Hover said.
Each day when there are events, the commission will produce a single big check for a designated administrator to cash, then "divvy out" into pay envelopes for officials, with each official signing a sheet attesting to their having received payment, according to Hofer.
It's the wait for the checks to be deposited, not the inconvenience of having to cash those checks, that is the problem, according to Hofer.
The commission has been "struggling" to get officials, as have many other organizations that conduct sporting events, including the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association, Hofer said.
The struggle to "recruit and retain" may get worse before it gets better, as many current refs are "aging out and stepping away," while not many young people are seeking to replace them, he said.
The refs get $20 to $24 per event, depending on the level of competition involved.
The commission lacks the manpower to cut checks every day, Hofer said.
The Altoona Area School District has switched from checks to an electronic pay system, but a system like that is probably too expensive for a small operation like the commission, according to officials.
The commission distributes IRS Form 1099s to the referees to ensure they can pay any taxes due on their earnings, officials said.
The commission will start with the cash payments for the upcoming basketball season, according to Hofer.
"We can move forward, try that for a time, then evaluate it," said Commissioner Ed Frontino.
"We'll see how it goes," Hofer said. "I can report (on the results) in March."
Mirror Staff Writer William Kibler is at 814-949-7038.