How Much Will Cary's Pool Cost Taxpayers This Year?

Photo credit: Cary Park District website 

Operating and maintaining a community pool can be a costly business.

And when a city-run pool does not make any money, or even break even, in a given year, taxpayers are left to foot the bill, the Daily Herald reports.

So, what is that expected to mean for Cary taxpayers this year?

A Daily Herald investigation found the pool in Cary is expected to lose over $24,000 this year. The city figures it will need $119,740 to operate its pool and plans to bring in $95,581 in revenue, according to the Daily Herald. The Cary Park District operates Community Pool.

While some park districts plan to make money on pools, the amount Cary is slated to lose is minimal compared to other suburban communities. Nearby, the village of Algonquin is among six suburban park districts expected to lose six figures this year on its pool this year, according to the newspaper.

Maintenance costs, the weather and a “glut of entertainment options” when it comes to pools and aquatic centers in the suburbs has lead to increased operational costs and lower revenue, the Daily Herald investigation found.

“I think there’s a degree of the community that does go elsewhere because it has a little more to offer,” Wood Dale Park District Executive Director Matthew Ellmann toldthe Daily Herald. “Society as a whole, people want the more, the new, the next greatest thing. At some point we’ll have to address that.”

Take a look at what other communities throughout the suburbs are expected to spend on their pool operations this year on the Daily Herald website.