The proposed special rate variation (SRV) to renew and maintain the pools in the Bega Valley would see rates increase on average by about $2 per week.
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It was discussed at a public meeting run by Bega Valley Shire Council in Bega on Monday night attended by over 50 people.
Currently, it costs just over $2million for council to operate and maintain the shire's six pools while minor asset renewal costs are $218,000.
READ MORE: Low response on council's pool meetings
User fees and income generated from the pools is only $867,000, so that means the remaining $1,382,000 needs to be funded from other sources.
Council said the current operating costs are unsustainable and it does not have the funds to complete facility renewals when they are due - both Bega and Cobargo pools were built in the 1960s and are approaching the end of their 60-year lifespan.
Mayor Kristy McBain said council has not yet resolved to proceed with the SRV as the solution to solve the funding problem for the pools; it was "one possible solution" and there could be others that came out of council's consultation sessions.
If it was to pass, she said council would not be able to use any of the money raised under the SRV to apply to other areas aside from the pools due to its annual reporting obligations to IPART.
Closing any of the six pools was not currently being considered, she said, as council believed public sentiment shown during the 2016 local government election was that the community wanted all the pools to remain open.
She said council could not afford to build new assets into the future so was focused on maintaining what it already had, and while it has draft concept plans for an upgrade of the Bega pool she said a second indoor pool in the shire would not be feasible.
Due for renewal in 2023, council is proposing a 25metre lap pool in Bega with 10 lanes, a leisure pool, children's pool and water slide at an estimated cost of $9.5million.
A couple of audience members at the meeting were concerned by the proposed 25metre length as it is shorter than the current 33metre pool, but aquatic and leisure facilities coordinator Nicholas Hoynes said the length would increase operating costs and competition pools were 25 or 50 metres in length.
A presentation by Mr Hoynes stated if the SRV did not pass other options included remaining as is which would result in a reduction of service provision and maintenance as per available funding, or another option was only renewing higher-use sites such as Bega.
An audience member asked if council had thought of privatising the Sapphire Aquatic Centre in Pambula, but Mayor McBain said that had not been considered yet.
She said as the Bemboka pool was often utilised by the town's public school council had raised the idea of selling it to the Department of Education to be run as an education asset, but that had been refused.
Several times audience members said the low numbers at the pool consultation meetings showed council had not promoted them enough, but in response Mayor McBain talked about the difficulty in informing every resident in the shire about council's plans and said it was "an imperfect science trying to get people to engage" with council.
A determination on the SRV will be made at council's meeting on November 20. For more information on council's swimming pool strategy, click here.
The last information session on the pools will be held on Wednesday, October 2 at 5.30pm at the Candelo Hall.
Albert McKnight
Journalist at Bega District News.
Journalist at Bega District News.
