Linden debates lifeguard pay, shorter party hours and a post‑season bonus to improve pool staffing

Parks and recreation staff presented a multi-part plan to improve staffing and operations at the Linden Aquatic Center, telling the council that recruitment and retention issues have left the facility dependent on younger workers and exposed to child labor limits.

Staff proposal: the department recommended an across‑the‑board wage increase (roughly $2/hr higher across ranges in the draft analysis) to make Linden more competitive with neighboring pools and attract more 16–18‑year‑old applicants. Staff reported that about 39% of employees are Linden residents and the rest come from nearby cities; they estimated a maximum projected annual wage cost increase of about $130,000 if all new wage slots were filled. The department also proposed adjusting reservation hours—shortening evening party blocks by up to 30 minutes to one hour earlier on weekdays and altering Monday public hours—to reduce payroll exposure, plus a post‑season retention bonus (e.g., $1/hr for post‑season hours paid as a lump sum) to encourage staff to remain after school starts.

Financial tradeoffs and next steps: staff said cutting reservation hours could save roughly $122,000 in wages under some scenarios while eliminating some private reservations after school starts could reduce revenue by an estimated $60,000 (operational scenarios varied). Council members repeatedly asked for operational-only financials that exclude capital investments, noting prior capital costs (for example, a pool liner replacement) had skewed annual results. Several council members expressed support for a phased, data‑driven approach: start with a focused wage bump to see whether recruitment improves, then consider targeted scheduling changes or bonuses if staffing shortfalls persist.

Policy and operational specifics discussed: staff and council discussed legal limits tied to child labor rules (how many hours 15‑year‑olds may work and how late they can be scheduled), the option to prioritize hiring 16‑year‑olds first and only open remaining slots to 15s, and the potential to tier starting pay by age/experience. The council also weighed the idea of increasing party fees, creating premium weekend pricing for Fridays/Saturdays, or piloting a bidding mechanism for high‑demand prime dates to close the budget gap without shifting costs onto residents broadly.

Council direction: the council broadly supported staff returning with a refined proposal that isolates variables (recommendation: test a wage increase first), provides operational‑only revenue/expense modelling, recommends reservation‑pricing options (including premium weekend pricing), and outlines a post‑season bonus or other retention incentives. Staff were asked to return promptly because reservations are already being scheduled for the upcoming season.

What comes next: Parks staff will model narrower scenarios and return with options that separate wage impacts from hour‑reduction impacts, along with recommended pricing changes for reservations and an amended schedule that preserves weekend public use while addressing safety and staffing constraints.