Angry about Kennett Square’s bulging budget, leaders of a local Facebook group think the Kennett Area YMCA should step up and trim some of its financial fat for the benefit of burdened taxpayers.

“One of the problems here is that there is too much tax-free property,” Tony Talamonti said in a Daily Local News report by Fran Maye. “The YMCA is packed from 6 in the morning to 8:30 at night, and most are not Kennett Square people.”

Considering that Kennett Square spending per capita is more than three times that of the nearest municipality, he proposed that a $1 per month amusement tax on every YMCA member would contribute $160,000 to the borough’s coffers. It’s the kind of pie-in-the-sky idea that the YMCA just might be into, given their strong history of community engagement.

But besides the illegality of such a tax on a nonprofit organization, even a donation to the city from YMCA members is unlikely. That’s in part because the Y in Kennett Square puts out some $578,954 in financial assistance to its members, former Council President Leon Spencer said in the article.

“The Kennett Y is here to strengthen the foundations of our community and as a vital nonprofit, we have had a very positive impact on Kennett Square,” Executive Director Doug Nakashima said. “Last year, more than 2,500 families received financial assistance to participate in Y programs and services.”

Read more about the town hall talk and the ideas of the Kennett Borough Watchdogs in the Daily Local News here.