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Council considers new pool fees, half-season discounts and a senior category
Summary
Baltimore Village staff proposed changing pool pricing—including a 30% half-season discount after July 5, a new 60+ senior membership category and revised rental pricing with per-person add-ons for large parties—and the council voted to send the proposal to the full council for ordinance drafting.
Village staff presented proposed revisions to pool rates and membership categories at the March 9 meeting and asked council direction to prepare ordinance language for a council vote.
Matt Nyehiser reviewed recommended changes: a 30% half-season discount for memberships purchased after July 5, a newly created senior membership for residents aged 60 and older, higher fees for the babysitter add-on and an adjusted family-membership definition that would limit household memberships to no more than two adults over age 22 (councillors debated raising that cap to three). Nyehiser also proposed revising pool-rental pricing to charge $2.25 per resident for the base rental and $2 per additional person after the first 50 to better cover lifeguard and staffing costs.
"We found out that that's what most communities do is that 30% discount," Nyehiser said when explaining the half-season reduction. Council members raised questions about enforcement of residency proof, how managers would track party head counts, and whether the per-person add-on would sufficiently cover extra lifeguard costs at larger events.
Council members discussed lifeguard-to-swimmer ratios (council referenced state guidance of about 25:1 in conversation) and the logistics of applying the family definition and residency verification (a water bill was suggested as acceptable proof). After debate over adult limits per household and the price-per-additional-person approach for rentals, the committee agreed to move the draft fee schedule to the full council and asked the village administrator to prepare ordinance language for approval at the next council meeting.
The council noted the pool opens in a little over two months and that adopting rates promptly may require an emergency adoption at the next meeting to allow the changes to take effect for the season.
