UPDATE: As I suspected. (Doc)
I’ve heard rumors over the past week that the Parks department is trying to figure out how to support the new indoor aquatics center, one of the proposals on the table is to eliminate the free pool passes for impoverished kids. Not sure if this is true, but it would open up a big can of worms, that would be much bigger then just raising revenue for the pools.
There is to be a presentation on Tuesday at the informational meeting. The docs aren’t posted yet, but it will be interesting to see if the topic is brought up.
I have said all along, subsidizing the new indoor aquatic center is going to cost taxpayers millions, maybe the city is realizing this is going to be a costly adventure.
I guess I’m confused. Depending on the day, you hear one of two things that really can’t both be true.
One day we are a ‘boomtown’ literally swimming in cash, and the strongest city in the nation, with so much money we can’t figure out what to do with it, and we have so much money we can fund indoor tennis ventures, indoor hockey ventures, event centers, indoor pools, escalators at the Pavillion, and the list goes on and on.
Then on other days, we have to raise water rates because if we don’t we won’t be able to fund capital projects to keep our sewer from collapsing. And we need to push for the third penny option, at least that’s what Mayor Huether said, so we have another funding source. And we have to cut paratransit going forward lest it fall into insolvency, as its on a trajectory of subsidy we can’t afford. And now we might have to look at raising rates or eliminating the swim passes (assuming the rumor is true).
Does anyone else get dizzy trying to keep this straight? It kind of seems like when we are looking to fund non-essential fun time stuff, we are rolling in the dough, but when we are looking at the core functions of local government, we’re suddenly strapped. Interesting.
That’s Our Man Mike!!!
I guess that is what happens when the people running the city are dumb as a box of rocks.
It’s very sad that low income kids will lose the only summer happiness that makes their youth memorable. This mayor has become renowned for his cruelty. It’s very hard to understand a man who restricts the less priveleged from a dip in the pool yet builds indoor tennis and aquatics for the upper class. We’ll remember him and demand a more civil sympathetic human being for the next elections (mayor and governor).
The word is rumor. Why repeat a rumor? Why spread a rumor?
Dean, for discussion. I have found that when I post ‘rumors’ like this, they turn out to be true about 75% of the time.
It may be just discussion at this point, but you never know.
Im starting to think this is the Mayor’s favorite song;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sgpa7wEAz7I
In a Frank Sinatra sort of way of course.
Aside from this recommendation, they will have another trick up their sleeve. Right now it costs a 16 year old kid $45 for a season pass. (soon to be $22.50 for the kids who cannot afford it) Season pass used to be synonymous with annual pass. Not next season. Next season we will have a summer pass (June thru August)and a winter pass. (September thru May) two separate seasons, two separate prices. And since the winter season is THREE times as long as the summer season, well…..guess what?
During the run-up to the vote in 2014 Don Kearney consistently claimed the rates would not have to change to pay for the indoor pool. I guess we once again get to see what kind of liar he is and will forever be.
Page 23 of his PowerPoint: Goals for Aquatic Rates
Establish rates for our new indoor aquatic center.
Reasonable rates for a new, state – of – the – art facility.
Very competitive with local aquatic facilities and other entertainment options.
Page 24: Timeline (who has ever been to any of these?)
June 2 – Park Board Marketing and Public Needs Committee
June 4 – Park Board Planning and Development Committee
June 5 – Council Leadership
June 9 – Park Board Partnerships and Recreation Committee
June 9 – Council Informational
June 16 – Park Board
June 16 – 1st Reading
July 7 – 2nd Reading
mmm does indeed run the town like a business. at my work, if the boss loses on an issue, then there is sure to be retribution. perhaps this is payback for free bus passes without mmm’s stamp of approval.
I suggest a civil disobedience protest. Run your sump pump hose into the city sewer.
Is the city running low on 1st penny sales tax money to operate on?
Not saying it’s a great move for these families, but the revenue has to come from somewhere. The proposal only looks unreasonable because of the lengths to which the city has traditionally gone in terms of subsidizing the pool as an activity for youth in income-challenged families.
That’s not the kind of policy discussion that the Parks and Recreation Department should be involved in. The Parks and Recreation Department should present the council with realistic rates that allow the pools to operate in a financially responsible manner. Then let the council decide the degree to which they wish to subsidize those rates.
Doing it this way actually provides a service to the community, in that it helps the community to understand where its tax support is going.
What gets me in the article that was in the Argus this morning is the mention that all the other cities/towns around charge more. Isn’t that the same as “keeping up with the Jones?” It seems like we heard that kind of talk about the Event Center and the Indoor Pool. It seems like with this city it is all about keeping up with the Jones.
L3wis was right about raising pool prices (double & triple). He had the scoop before the media. His sources are better than their reporters. There’s a need for a non-profit web site such as this to report unbiased unrestricted local news. What impresses me here is it’s hard facts (not social news) brought in from editor perspective then refined with public comment. Nobody’s right but everybody is truth.
Joan, it would be great if SF could keep up with the Jones family. But…we can’t. Consider this. The city’s that charge more than SF have a higher median household income average than us. Not by a little. A lot. Consider these household median incomes.
Fargo. $71,221
Rapid City. $62,517
Cedar Rapids. $69,388
Omaha. $66,264
Now consider the economic engine that is SF.
SF. $53,574
Relative to the other city’s mentioned, seems a bit low. Now consider this. 75,000 people live within the boundaries of the interstate highway system. Those 75,000 have a household income average of $40,590. That is 20 to 30 grand lower than all the city’s mentioned above. All these numbers are in the the councilman hunsacker report we paid big bucks for to justify an indoor pool for the Snofox swim team.
I recommend all of the city council take the time to review this document. In it they will see for themselves the outright lies that were laid on the public to bring an indoor pool to town. Erp says she’s known for years we needed to raise pool rates. Well, why didn’t you? I’ll tell you why. If any of this would have come out before the indoor pool vote, guess what? It would have been defeated.
Oh, and once again, while the argus and STfU are at an event celebrating the antics of a band 40 years past its prime, and calling us morons no less, l3wis scoops em AGAIN. Bwahahahaha.