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Commission weighs lifeguard funding and possible user‑fees for City Beach
Summary
Commissioners and staff reviewed lifeguard staffing shortfalls, the rising cost of a full summer lifeguard program and a proposal to fund lifeguards through user fees such as beach parking revenue.
Sandpoint Parks & Recreation staff told the commission on March 9 that the city currently lacks a dedicated, funded lifeguard program and that fully staffing lifeguards seven days a week would cost far more than prior budgets.
Staff said the last fully funded lifeguard budget before the COVID‑19 pandemic was about $29,000. After the pandemic the budget was increased but current estimates to fully staff lifeguards seven days a week at market wages are approximately $80,000 for a season; staff said there is currently no dedicated funding source for that program.
The commission discussed options for creating a dedicated revenue stream to support lifeguards. One proposal described at the meeting was to use City Beach parking revenue to fund lifeguards, so that users rather than the general fund taxpayers would directly support the seasonal service. Staff said training and certification timelines mean the city would need to begin lifeguard recruitment and training immediately if a program were to be ready by late May or Memorial Day weekend.
Commissioners and local partners discussed partnerships and shared staffing arrangements with the YMCA. The YMCA reported it has 20–25 lifeguards on staff and that prior joint efforts have included sharing lifeguards between city and YMCA operations, subject to scheduling rules (for example, staff historically were not permitted to work both facilities on the same day). The commission noted several operational and liability issues: the city has no dedicated aquatics supervisor and current staff workloads make managing a seasonal lifeguard program difficult without dedicated staffing.
Staff recommended the commission consider user fees or other dedicated funding sources before committing to a fully staffed lifeguard program. The meeting did not produce a final decision about summer lifeguard staffing; staff suggested putting the matter on a future agenda for discussion of funding options and program structure.
