City commission approves pool fee increase

By NICK BUDD
Hays Post

The Hays City Commission passed three separate fee increases Thursday night, all of which will increase the fee to use some of the recreational facilities in Hays.

The first measure added a third tier fee for entrance to the Hays Aquatic Park and Wilson Pool. Beginning this summer, it will now cost $4 to enter the Hays Aquatic Park and $3 to enter the Wilson pool for individuals who are 18 years and older. The measure effectively increased the adult entrance fee by a dollar for both pools. The measure passed by a vote of 3-2 among the five city commissioners.

The increase comes after the pool had a net loss of $40,904 in the 2013 season, up from a loss of just $12, 690 in 2012. It was estimated the pool would have only lost $34,080 if the fee increase would have been implemented for the 2013 season.

Commissioners Ron Mellick, Shaun Musil and Eber Phelps voted for the measure while Mayor Kent Steward and commissioner Henry Schwaller voted against it.

“It seems to me that it’s unrealistic to think that we can make the pool self supporting,” Steward said. “Basically, we had an extremely unusual summer that caused the subsidy to be higher than usual.

Schwaller noted the city should look more into the idea of generating more money through season passes.

On the other side of the argument, Mellick noted if the Hays Recreation Commission keeps sustaining these losses, it will take away from other programs that the HRC puts together.

“They are running this program,” Mellick said. “They can give us 90 days and say we can’t absorb these losses every year and the city of Hays would be running this program on their own.”

The fee increase will take effect this upcoming summer.