Prescott Valley council to put sales-tax increase on 2026 ballot, directs staff to pursue indoor-outdoor pool

The Prescott Valley Town Council voted unanimously Dec. 4 to put a proposed sales-tax increase on the Nov. 3, 2026 ballot and concurrently directed staff to proceed with Option B, an indoor/outdoor pool for the town.

Vice Mayor Sircher moved “to put the sales tax increase on the 11/03/2026 ballot with as broad language as possible … and then concurrently directing staff to proceed with option B,” and Council member Schumacher seconded; the motion passed unanimously. The council did not set final ballot language during the meeting and said the item would be placed on the ballot process with broad language for voters.

The action followed a staff presentation that laid out four options: renovate the existing outdoor pool (estimated $5–8 million), an indoor/outdoor pool ($10–16 million), a municipally operated recreation center ($35–38 million) and a YMCA-operated full recreation facility ($45–48 million). Town staff said the larger projects would require a dedicated funding source and likely voter approval of a sales-tax-backed bond or sales-tax increase.

Paul Bence of High Ground Public Affairs presented a voter survey of 350 likely voters (Nov. 10–13) showing a near-even split on a tax measure: roughly 48% yes and 48% no in a pretest and a posttest result of about 49.7% yes, within a margin of error of ±5.2 points. Bence told the council that the indoor pool was the single most popular amenity tested and that older voters on fixed incomes were the largest demographic concern for passage.

“The number one is the indoor pool,” Bence said, summarizing the survey’s ranking of amenities. Staff told the council that operating costs for the current seasonal pool run a little more than $400,000 a year; a year-round, covered indoor pool would likely cost closer to $1.2 million annually.

Proponents who spoke during the public-comment period emphasized the YMCA’s programming capacity and childcare. Wayne Bennett, chairman of the Prescott Valley Community Center Initiative, said the YMCA’s operational experience and ability to offer accredited childcare were key reasons to pursue a YMCA partnership in some scenarios.

Council members asked staff to clarify annual operating costs and to pursue additional outreach and analysis on childcare demand; staff recommended a childcare needs assessment as a first step if the council wants to include an all-day childcare element in future planning.

Next steps: staff will prepare ballot language and the town will pair a November 2026 election item with the town’s call to election; the council directed staff to move forward with planning for Option B concurrent with placing the sales-tax question before voters.