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Council weighs stipend for DPW superintendent and options to shore up pool and recreation finances
Summary
Council discussed whether to increase a $5,000 stipend for the DPW superintendent who has assumed parks and recreation duties, debated pool repairs versus temporary fixes, and reviewed proposed fee changes for recreation passes and swim lessons to address recurring revenue shortfalls.
Council members revisited a pending proposal to give a stipend to the DPW superintendent, previously set at $5,000, for taking on additional parks and recreation responsibilities.
One councilmember said the superintendent had been asked to shoulder work normally assigned to a parks and rec director and proposed revisiting a larger stipend (the superintendent had asked for $15, and council had discussed $10). Others said they expected a data-backed justification from the city executive before increasing compensation. Speaker 4 asked city executive staff (Adam) to provide a line-by-line breakdown, asserting current overages were claimed to be more than $25,000 but that detailed accounting was necessary.
On recreation operations, staff proposed several fee adjustments: raising family pass fees, changing daily pool entrance fees and increasing swim lesson rates. Council debated whether the pool’s annual losses were primarily from water leakage, mechanical failures and chemical costs and whether an investment in repairs or targeted grant seeking would be better than ongoing band-aid fixes. One staff member noted the possibility of partnering with local high schools to run swim lessons to reduce costs.
No stipend increase or fee changes were finalized at the meeting; council asked staff for clearer financial numbers and grant/bid options and said they would revisit the matter in a subsequent meeting.
