Editor’s note: The following commentary has been offered for publication by Whitewater City Manager John Weidl. The commentary was shared as a memo to the city’s common council and staff and titled: “Friday Food for Thought.”
Summary: The City Council and staff are committed to maintaining the Whitewater Aquatic and Fitness Center (WAFC) in its current state by providing additional funding for operations and capital maintenance for the next four years. City Council has asked the Whitewater Unified School District (WUSD) as partners to do the same. Maintaining service levels is the best way to increase memberships and reduce future costs for both organizations – not cutting staffing and services. However, the financial realty of the WUSD offer requires that cuts be seriously considered. I certainly understand and appreciate concerns from the community regarding the status of the WAFC operations and its future. To that end, I will to lay out several points that should help us understand the difference and impacts between the City of Whitewater’s funding proposal for the WAFC and the one provided by Whitewater Unified School District (WUSD).
Through 2022, both organizations have been contributing approximately $178,000 annually to the operations and maintenance of the WAFC.
Last week, the City Council proposed to increase its operational contribution by 23% to $219,000 annually, and continue funding half of all capital costs through 2027 through a 4-year lease agreement. The City Council also guaranteed that WUSD would not beheld liable for any budget overages if they agreed. This offer maintains service and stabilizes risk.
WUSD proposed to cut operational contributions by 96% to $7,500 per year, reducing contributions $170,500 annually. WUSD would fund all capital costs in their proposal. Conversely, WUSD would have to expend $230,000 operationally, plus capital costs, to maintain and staff the lap pool alone for its use without the benefit of the City’s partnership.
The City contribution level proposal is based on the true cost of operations and replacement as the WAFC is currently structured and staffed. Added to this is proposal is a 3% annual increase in contributions, a 3% increase in membership fees to WAFC members, and a 5% projected increase in total annual memberships.
The City Council strongly believes that to increase memberships and improve the WAFC, the City and WUSD need to put together an agreement for mutual gain that does not cut staffing or services. Both organizations need to support the WAFC for the benefit of students, residents, and surrounding region.
In real world terms: what would you do if your roommate/partner wanted to pay $75 on a house that cost $4,400 a month to rent after splitting the bills the previous 5 years? Would you let it eat into your emergency savings to the point where you had to think about selling your car and getting rid of your cat just to pay the bills each month? Would you at least change your Netflix password? I’m guessing most of us would probably start trying to find a new roommate or a new place to live as opposed to paying that much more than your fair share.
Remember, WUSD and the City both put up $178,000 in cash this year towards the WAFC. WUSD proposed to reduce that by 96% to $7,500. The City is offering to increase its contributions, not reduce, to maintain the integrity of the service and provide a pathway for improvement. If WUDS simply restarted negotiations at the existing 2023 funding level with a moderate escalator and a reasonable budget for capital costs, we’d be on a path to success.
Bottom line, if the City and school district do not reach a lease and operating agreement that funds the WAFC at a level that is at least as much as 2023, there will be no choice but to cut hours, cut staffing, or otherwise rearrange or eliminate parts of the operation to balance.
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