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Canal Winchester council debates resident-only verification and nonresident daily-pass fees for 2026 pool season
Summary
Staff proposed retaining $8 resident daily pass and raising nonresident daily pass to $10 while keeping membership pricing unchanged; council discussed staff's new pre-registration and in-office verification process to ensure residency-based pricing but did not vote on legislation.
City staff and councilors spent substantial time discussing proposed changes to pool daily-pass pricing and a new verification process for the 2026 season.
Finance Director Amanda Jackson told council staff recommend keeping resident daily passes at $8 and increasing the nonresident daily rate to $10; proposed senior rates would be $3 for residents and $5 for nonresidents, while membership pricing would not change. Jackson said staff do not currently track resident vs. nonresident daily pass buyers, so the $2 differential is an estimate to offset reduced attendance caused by new procedures.
Jackson described a multi-step verification procedure: visitors would need to register and be verified in the recreation office during normal business hours before they could purchase a daily pass at the pool. The system would note residency and parent/guardian information for minors and could include photos; staff said returning members could pre-verify online and only update pictures in person. Jackson and council discussed operational effects, including longer lines at the pool, additional staff time during off-hours, signage, and targeted pre-registration events before opening day to reduce bottlenecks.
Council members expressed support for the verification plan while asking for public outreach and signage and volunteered to assist with verification events. Staff said formal legislation to amend daily-pass rates would be brought to the next meeting if council remained supportive.
