In a special meeting Tuesday afternoon, the Honey Lake Valley Recreational Authority (HLVRA) board was presented a proposed letter to be handed to city and county officials requesting an increase to their annual contributions.
Since the pool’s opening in 2017, it has been “operated and largely funded through a cooperative agreement” between the county and city to each provide 80,000 dollars annually through the 2028/2029 fiscal year. Yet the current amount no longer goes as far as it used to. Costs have increased across the board, and more is needed to sustain operational costs, including staffing, and maintenance. With current repairs already deferred the HLVRA is fearful that furthering budget constraints without additional funding will lead to larger more costly projects in the future, on top of not being able to provide “current levels of service.”
The HLVRA is requesting that the city and county increase thier contributions from 80,000 to 120,000. Hoping that officials see the pool as a valuable asset to the community, through programs such as life-saving swimming lessons for children, swim nights for teens, and giving the Lassen Volcanoes a home to host swim meets.
Other avenues for additional funding for the pool have been discussed in prior meetings, including pursuing the creation of a special district. HLVRA Executive Director Bob Godman says this has not been a topic of discussion as of late, stating if the board were to bring the special district to the ballot, voter approval would be challenged by a more difficult passing threshold. Yet if a community initiative were to bring it to the ballot, voter approval would be much easier to obtain by a simple majority. Thus the option has not been pursued.
Godman confirmed the board held discussions on the proposed letter Tuesday, and with suggested edits to better clarify the need for more funding, a special meeting next week will likely be held to approve the letter for distribution.
