Wausau committee approves higher 2026 pool pass fees, keeps youth discount and scholarship program

The City of Wausau Parks and Recreation Committee voted unanimously Aug. 4 to raise several 2026 pool pass fees while maintaining a reduced youth option and continuing a department scholarship program.

Jamie, Parks department staff, told the committee the department was “recommending an increase of 3% like we typically do each year,” and outlined a separate, larger counterproposal for 2026 that the committee debated. The committee approved a motion to set Wausau resident youth season passes at $40 and resident adult season passes at $60 for 2026; nonresident season passes will be $50 for youth and $75 for adults. The committee also set the daily admission at $5 and directed staff to index other fees by 3%.

Why it matters: The change shifts some of the cost burden to adult pass-holders while keeping a lower season price for youth to help preserve access for families. Committee members cited both rising operating costs and concern about pricing out children who walk to neighborhood pools.

Discussion and concerns Jamie explained the department compares Wausau’s prices with nearby communities such as the village of Weston, noting Weston charges $59 for an individual season pass for one pool and $79 for a two-pool joint pass. Jamie said Wausau’s existing resident adult pass was $52 and the resident youth pass $36, and that “we are significantly lower” than some counterparts given Wausau’s three pools.

Several alderpersons urged caution about raising youth prices. Alderman Rasmussen said the city has “a larger demographic that does have economic challenges” and favored keeping youth passes cheaper so neighborhood pools remain affordable and keep children out of unsafe waterways. Alder Lukens and others asked staff to provide sales counts and usage statistics; Jamie said those numbers exist in the registration software and she would provide them to the committee.

Scholarship program and access Jamie described an existing scholarship program the department budgets annually. The committee was told the current scholarship line item is $3,500; Jamie said the program typically provides partial support rather than covering the entire cost and that the department honors school district free-and-reduced-lunch documentation as an easy eligibility route. Jamie summarized the typical scholarship structure as up to about 70% off a first program and about 50% off subsequent items, with a cap (described in the meeting as about $75 of benefit) and the intent that applicants pay a portion to encourage participation.

Formal action and votes The motion setting the 2026 pool pass fees and the $5 daily admission was made by Alder Watson and seconded by Alder Rasmussen. The committee vote was recorded as unanimous; members voting in favor included the committee chair (unnamed in the transcript), Alderman Rasmussen, Alder Lukens and Alder Watson. The committee also recorded a consensus to review fees annually at the end of the season and requested staff provide pass counts, usage data, and the remaining balance in the scholarship fund when reviewing the fee changes.

What’s next Jamie said staff will circulate the sales and usage data to committee members and that the committee can revisit the fee schedule if the data suggest adjustments are needed. The fee changes are intended to be in place for budget planning and the 2026 season scheduling.