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Sandpoint faces lifeguard staffing shortfall; officials discuss funding options including parking revenue
Summary
Commissioners and staff said the city lacks enough certified lifeguards for the summer and discussed budget history, possible partnerships with the YMCA and a proposal to use City Beach parking revenue to fund lifeguards.
Sandpoint commissioners and staff on April 9 discussed a shortfall in certified lifeguard staffing for City Beach and possible funding models, including using parking revenue to support summer lifeguards.
Katie (staff member) told the commission the recreation program had advertised lifeguard positions at $16 per hour but had received limited interest; she said the department needs 12 certified lifeguards and currently had four applicants. She said past cooperation with the YMCA had helped in previous years and invited the YMCA to partner on recruitment and training; the YMCA representative present confirmed the Y staffs roughly 20–25 lifeguards and is open to partnership.
Jason (staff member) provided historical budget figures and said lifeguard program costs have risen sharply. He told the commission that the lifeguard budget pre‑COVID was about $29,000, then increased to $69,000 in the year after COVID, and that a fully staffed summer program at current wage levels would cost “around $80,000.” He said the city currently lacks dedicated funding for lifeguards and that the expense must come from the recreation fund, which also supports the sports center. Regarding options, Jason said one proposal is to use parking revenue from City Beach so that beach users directly fund lifeguard staffing rather than general taxpayers.
Commissioners asked whether lifeguards could be trained and hired in time for Memorial Day; staff said training would need to start immediately to have certified guards by late May. Commissioners and staff discussed operational constraints (staff certifications, scheduling, and the need for a dedicated aquatics supervisor during the season) and potential partnerships (the YMCA, volunteer swim groups and county swim organizations) to expand capacity.
No formal decision was taken; staff recommended bringing a dedicated funding proposal and timeline back for a future meeting. Jason said he prefers a dedicated funding source rather than using general tax revenues: “I would prefer to have a dedicated funding source for lifeguards because I find it actually offensive that we'd use sampling property taxpayers to provide lifeguards during 2 months of the summer,” he said. Commissioners asked staff to prepare options for a future agenda item.
The lifeguard discussion is included among the commission’s priorities for upcoming budget and CIP discussions.
