New Carlisle council approves $40,000 transfer to keep municipal pool open

The New Carlisle City Council on July 21 approved moving $40,000 from the general fund into the city pool fund and adopted a matching appropriation so the pool can meet payroll and remain open through the end of the season. Council members and staff said the pool’s payroll ran significantly higher than budgeted this summer, driven by an extra pay period and higher hourly pay; staff asked for the transfer to cover the next three to four weeks of payroll while the pool winds down for the season. City staff provided council a midseason revenue-and-expense report showing higher gate, membership and concession income compared with the previous two years but payroll costs well above budget. “We’ve used up all of our budgeted money for the wages,” Colleen Harris, staff member, told the council during the discussion. Residents spoke during public comment in favor of keeping the pool open. John Kravacker, 307 North Henry Street, thanked the council and volunteers for work at the pool and on neighborhood projects. Pat Kriebacher, 307 North Henry Street, said the pool can be an asset for new families moving into recent residential developments. Several council members said they support keeping the pool open but expressed concern about recurring shortfalls. One council member suggested placing a dedicated recreational levy — covering parks, courts and the pool — before voters rather than relying on the general fund. Another member recommended exploring higher nonresident rates and tighter pool hours to reduce payroll costs. City staff said the requested transfer should be more than sufficient to cover the remaining seasonal payroll; if council had not approved the transfer, staff said the pool would have been closed because staff could not be paid. Council approved the transfer and appropriation by roll call (recorded affirmatives from the mayor and a majority of council; ordinance and resolution numbers appear in the meeting packet). The council directed staff to bring additional analysis and options — including a possible levy or rate adjustments — to future meetings or a work session, and several council members asked that ideas be prepared for a fall or pre-election public discussion.