Board tables renewal of interlocal agreement with City of Edmond and YMCA over Mitch Park competition pool

The board tabled consideration of a renewal of a five-year cooperative agreement between Edmond Public Schools and the City of Edmond that relates to operation of the Mitch Park competition pool and the YMCA’s billing practices.

District staff summarized how the current arrangement works: the YMCA bills the city monthly for pool operations; the city pays the YMCA; and the city then invoices the school district for its share of “actual expenses,” defined in the document as the difference between total revenue and total expense. Presenters said the agreement as written does not clearly assign who sets user fees and that the YMCA currently sets rental rates.

Trustees and staff raised several concerns: sharp increases in insurance costs (described in the meeting as a 65% increase two years ago and a 20% increase the most recent year), water and gas cost allocations negotiated years earlier, and the district’s limited auditing or control rights over revenue and expenses. The superintendent (staff presenter) said he has requested meetings with the city and the YMCA to rewrite the arrangement and recommended tabling the renewal to allow staff to negotiate changes and include the YMCA in documentation.

A trustee made a motion to table the item to allow staff time to meet with the parties and return with revised language; the motion carried on voice/roll call. Board members asked staff to return with a draft that addresses revenue-setting and auditing rights before the district approves an extension that would take effect July 1 if not replaced.