For the first time in nearly a decade, the city is preparing to raise rates at the Powell Aquatic Center.

At a Monday meeting, the Powell City Council endorsed the idea of increasing the cost of memberships by roughly 5% and hiking the price of daily admission by 50 cents.

Since opening the aquatic center in 2010, the city has only approved two other increases, facility co-director Angela Frank said, most recently in 2016.

In the meantime, Frank said, “our costs for everything else have increased.” She recommended the council raise memberships by either 5% or 7%.

Councilman Zane Logan endorsed a 7% increase, but the other council members who spoke up preferred 5%.

“I’ve talked to a lot of people saying that, ‘I can’t go [to the pool] because it’s just too expensive,’” said Councilman Steve Lensegrav. “So we don’t want to make it prohibitive to families to be able to go in there.”

Councilmen Floyd Young and Troy Bray agreed.

“I realize that reality is what it is and costs increase, but I don’t think we need to increase it a tremendous amount,” said Bray, believing 5% to be adequate.

Young said the city has “a great pool,” and, he added, “I want it to be affordable for me, and my grandchildren when they come.”

The exact rates won’t be finalized until the council’s next meeting, with Mayor John Wetzel suggesting some prices could be round off for easier marketing. Under the preliminary figures presented Monday, the cost of an annual membership would rise from $225 to roughly $237 for an adult, from $175 to $184 for seniors and from $150 to $158 for youth (ages 3-21). Six-month memberships will see similar bumps.

As for the daily rate, Frank suggested raising those from $6 to $7 for adults and from $5 to $6 for youth and seniors. However, Bray noted that, on a percentage basis, the proposed changes would represent “a pretty hefty jump.”

At his suggestion, the council split the difference, endorsing new daily rates of $6.50 for adults (up 8.3%) and $5.50 for youth and seniors (up 10%).

Young preferred leaving the daily rates steady, but Frank said it would be hard to explain to members why their rates were going up, but not those for daily users; Logan said he didn’t think that would be fair.

Speaking generally of the proposed increases, Logan said he believed the cost difference was “not a whole lot” compared to how much more he has to pay in fuel than a decade ago.

Frank told the council that the City of Cody has hiked the rates at its recreation center by 12% since 2016, including a roughly 9% bump in September. 

“We’ll always be less than Cody,” she added, noting their center features a variety of amenities beyond a pool.

An annual membership at the Cody Rec Center is $353 for adults, $316 for seniors, $246 for youth 16 through college and $175 for youth 5 to 15. Daily admission is $11 for adults, $8 for students 16 and up and $7 for youth 5-15.

Once finalized by the council, the Powell Aquatic Center’s new rates will take effect on July 1. Before that deadline arrives, customers will be able to renew their memberships or buy 10-punch daily passes at the current prices, Frank said.