SwimInc. and the city’s Pool Task Force

As council prepares to promote a tax increase this November, please see some historical context to what led to this action. Though, it is safe to say everyone wants to outdoor pool to remain operational, it is debatable that a city property tax increase is the best/only way forward.

Some brief facts and recent history about how they arrived at this next step:

• SwimInc is a private non-profit organization managing the outdoor pool facilities and programs

• The Worthington School District owns the pool and the property

• SwimInc received a $1M grant from the state of Ohio, and used it for mechanical updates, minor pool updates, and consulting services (30%)

• The City has given some small financial support to help keep SwimInc operational

• The School District included money to build a new natatorium (indoor pool) in 2024/2025

• The outdoor pool mechanicals are old and show signs of failing

In early 2023, City Council appointed a task force to determine what steps the city can take to support keeping the outdoor pool operational.

• There is interest in a Joint Rec District with the City and the School District, but the school district gave a timeline of three years to agree to this approach.

• SwimInc’s consultants provided a study with three options – mostly for replacing the pools

• A majority of the task force believed a tax increase on City residents was the only way to help support the pool, and the task force favored the most expensive plan at $15M

• I asked SwimInc and the consultants what is the least amount of cost to keep the outdoor pools (as is) operational. They said $4M - $5M.

• The City can easily fund the $5M without a tax increase.

Rebecca Hermann and Bonnie Michael were the other two Council task force members (in addition to me). They both stated in June/July 2023 that a tax increase was the only way to move forward.

However, there are alternative pathways Council is not considering as an alternative to a tax increase.

First, the City could fund an upgrade to mechanicals so the systems don’t fail and the pool can remain operational as is.

For those in the community who want to add a zero-entry pool, That can be added at a later phase within a few years. There are three paths to make this happen without a city tax increase.

1. The City could fund the improvements and receive profits from SwimInc’s budget to cover some of the costs.

2. The City and School District could create the Joint Rec District and place a small tax levy on the ballot in future years. This tax levy request could easily be $10 per $100k property valuation 

3. The pool owner (currently the School District, but possibly the City in the future) could create a Public Private Partnership with a developer who could provide housing near the pool in exchange for redeveloping the outdoor pool.