Canal Winchester officials previewed a plan Dec. 1 to require pre-registration for pool daily passes beginning in summer 2026, a change staff say will let the city better track who purchases day passes and hold problem users accountable.

Finance Director Amanda Jackson told council the proposed system would require individuals to pre-register and be verified before buying a daily pass. "This means you cannot wake up on a Saturday morning and decide to go to the swimming pool," Jackson said, adding that memberships would remain unchanged.

Under the plan, each verified daily-pass purchaser would receive a tag to present at the pool; staff said a purchase would be linked to that tag so the city can see who bought a day pass. Jackson cautioned the system "is not a way for us to be 100% certain how many people are in the pool at any given time," noting typical in-and-out movement among visitors.

Council members asked whether residency would be verified and whether the system could track each time a card is used. Jackson said residency limits had not been decided and that the technical system currently does not distinguish city residents from school-district residents; the ability to track per-use depends on staff and pool implementation. "Theoretically, if it was done correctly at the pool, yes," Jackson said about tracking repeated daily-pass purchases.

Council discussed age and parental-identification requirements for minors; Jackson said any proposed age changes would come through the rate ordinance and require council approval. Several councilmembers praised the staff for work to improve accountability and suggested staff provide clear publicity before the change takes effect so residents can register in advance.

Next steps: staff will finalize procedures and return with any proposed rate changes as part of the rate ordinance if council elects to alter pricing.