The City Council on Monday night approved a community pool pass model that includes a 15% increase over 2019 base rates and a 40% non-resident pool pass premium, along with a proposed drop-in fee structure. Under this model, a yearly resident family pass will cost $1,337; a non-resident family pass will cost $1,872. (See chart below for full fee structure.)
Under the plan, residents and resident pass-holders will be prioritized over non-residents when it comes to pool-related reservations, program enrollment, summer pass sales (May – September) and guest passes. Seniors and youth will get discounts.
The move comes in anticipation of the community pool opening sometime later this summer, although no date has yet been set.
The model was proposed by a working group composed of city staff, sports management consultant Isaac Sports Group (ISG), and the Pool Advisory Committee (Chair Steve Roland, Sarah Olsen Meyjes, Marcia Lane, Carolyn Pan, and Sara Ironside) who met in a series of four study sessions and public meetings over the last five months to develop a recommendation for the pool pass model.
“The harsh reality is that it is very expensive to run this pool,” PAC Chair Steve Roland told the Council on Monday. He said that breaking even financially was a key consideration in PAC deliberations. Roland said that residents who weighed in during the process overwhelmingly supported a high differential between resident and non-resident fees because of the cost burden on residents of building and maintaining the all-electric facility; he said the PAC arrived at the 40% premium for non-residents as a middle ground.
Roland said that under their recommended model, residents would also have priority in reserving facilities and signing up for programs like swim lessons. But it was also important, he said to be a welcoming neighbor — “this is a public pool, not a private club” — and that the drop-in fees for non-residents would not be much higher than for residents.
One hundred percent cost recovery by 2029
“Most other communities subsidize their pools through their general fund. We need to use fees to offset the long-term costs because we are operating on a ‘cost-recovery’ model,” said City Administrator Rosanna Bayon Moore. She said that the city will evaluate and adjust the fee structures after a full season or two if necessary.
The total annual pool pass and drop-in fees are estimated to represent 40% of total revenues per year, the city said. Resident pool passes are $577,000 (or 29%) and non-resident pool passes are $217,000 (or 11%) of total revenues. Additional revenue will come from programs such as swim lessons and facility rentals.
The city’s report said that their “conservative financial operating projections indicate that 100% cost recovery – including debt service on the electrification loan and annual allocations to the Long-Term Capital Reserve Fund will be reached by FY 2029 and sustained thereafter — 100% cost recovery by FY 2029.”
The development of a professional aquatic facility program management team led by Paula Cooper-Tipton, the Recreation Supervisor-Aquatics and Hadley Clegg, Recreation Coordinator for Aquatics and the year-round operation of both pools will make it possible to maximize a range of programs such as swim lessons (estimated to make up 27% of revenue), aquatic fitness, senior programs, and therapy/rehab classes, the recommendation said.
Salaries, wages, benefits make up the bulk of the complex expenses (61% of costs) followed by equipment maintenance.
A 20-year capital reserve target for long-term maintenance of the facility was set at $5.1 million.
Annual pass structure
Adult Pass
The Adult Annual Pass is the basis for the overall structure of the pool pass model. The Adult Pass includes one named adult, ages 19–64 years. It can easily become a “couples” pass with an Add-on Adult. The Adult Pass allows for someone to add an Adult, Senior, Youth/Child, or unnamed Guest.Senior Pass
The Senior Pass includes one named senior, ages 65 years and older. The Senior Pass can easily become a “couples” pass with an Add-on Senior or Adult. A discount has historically been offered for Senior Passes, and that will continue in the Build A Pass model. The Senior Pass allows for someone to Add-on an Adult, Senior, Youth/Child, or unnamed Guest.Family Pass
The Family Pass includes up to four named individuals with one adult required and a maximum of two adults. This allows the purchaser to mix and match (Examples: 1 adult + 3 children; 2 adults + 2 youth/children; 1 adult + 1 nanny + 2 children). Note that children (13 years of age and under) must be supervised by an adult. The Family Pass allows someone to Add-on an Adult, Senior, additional Youth/Child, or unnamed Guest. The Annual Family Pass also includes an unnamed Guest Pass at no additional charge. This allows Family Pass holders to bring a guest with them to any of their pool visits. Family members must be in same household.Youth Pass
The Youth Pass covers ages 14–18 years old. The intent is to create an option for teens who are the only swimmers in their family. The previous pool pass model did not include this option. Youth Passes do not allow any Add-on options.
Build a PassThe ability to add onto the four base categories provides flexibility and a customized pass to fit the needs of the purchaser. Adult, Senior, and Family Passes allow for additional Adults, Seniors, Children/Youth, plus the option to add a Guest. A Guest Pass allows a passholder to bring an unnamed person with them to the pool. The Guest Pass is valid for the term of the pool pass (Annual or Summer). Except for the Guest Add-on option, all Add-ons would need to be in the same household.
You can read the full proposal and financial analysis HERE