Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Recreation And Parks topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council to revisit pool access and nonresident day‑pass policy after staff provides revenue breakdown
Summary
Councilmembers debated limiting nonresident day passes at the city pool; staff said pool season will be shorter in 2025 and provided preliminary revenue figures and committed to a full breakdown ahead of the next meeting.
Canal Winchester City Council discussed whether to restrict nonresident day passes at the municipal pool and asked staff for a revenue breakdown before deciding on legislation.
Councilmember Shea reopened a discussion about access and membership rules that began the prior summer. "At some point, I think we owe it to our residents to limit the access to the pool to... residents," Shea said, proposing that nonresident day passes be eliminated while allowing memberships for nonresidents.
Finance Director Amanda Jackson told council staff recommends not raising base membership rates for 2025 because the school year starts early (Aug. 12) and the pool season will be shorter. "We do not believe that this year, with the shortened season, that it would be prudent for us to increase those rates," Jackson said. She said the city has not raised the individual resident pass base price (the "base rate") since at least 2016 and can provide a breakdown of revenue sources.
Nut graf: Council asked Jackson to return with a breakdown showing revenue from day passes, memberships, concessions and rentals. Jackson later reported that daily passes comprised about 58% of admissions revenue in 2024 and the remainder came from membership and other sources; staff said they could not reliably separate resident from nonresident day‑pass revenue without changed systems.
Council direction and next steps: Jackson said she would run reports and provide a more detailed breakdown to council within days so members could consider whether to draft legislation restricting nonresident day passes. The item will remain on the old‑business list until staff presents the requested figures.
Context and tradeoffs: Council members expressed competing priorities — preserving resident benefits and limiting nonresident access, while recognizing the pool operates partly on seasonal staffing (many lifeguards are high‑school students) and that day passes are a significant portion of pool admission revenue. Jackson noted staff difficulty verifying residency at the point of sale and the operational burden on seasonal staff.
Sources: Councilmember Shea and Amanda Jackson during the March 3 Canal Winchester City Council meeting; follow-up revenue note from the finance director to council.
