RSSSwimming Pools Marked as ‘Necessity’ in Cash-Strapped Toledo
Warner Todd Huston | April 14, 2008
Warner Todd Huston
Maggie Thurber over at Thurber’s Thoughts has a story that reveals the nanny state foolishness we are so woefully stuck with these days.
Apparently, the City of Toledo, Ohio is sinking over half a million dollars into keep their city swimming pools afloat all the while the city is whining that they are out of cash and need to raise taxes. Naturally, the excuse is that the city is somehow obligated to provide entertainment for its citizens. You’d be excused if you thought that a little idiotic.
The Toledo Blade reports that director of Toledo’s department of neighborhoods Kattie Bond told the paper that, “It is important to provide recreational opportunities for citizens. We live in a city where we do get hot weather, so it’s important we provide a place for kids to at least get wet and cool off.”
Thurber notes that the city’s pools served only about 5,000 people during last year at a cost of $120 per person!
Using this assumption, the pools had about 5,000 unique visitors. The 2006 Census data shows that there are 74,896 children (under 18 years of age) in Toledo. Even if every visitor to the pools was a child, we would be serving less than 7% of the kids in the city. If we consider total population, those estimated 5,000 unique visitors represent less than 2% of the population.
Yet the city is planning to spend about $600,000 for this – which is about $120 per person served. It would be cheaper to buy every kid in the city a membership to the Boys and Girls Club ($5 per year for 16-18 year olds, but only $3 for 7-15 year olds) which would give them access to ALL activities, not just the pools.
Yes, swimming pools are nice, but are they so important that funding them comes before police or other services? Further, is a pool worth operating at far, far higher rates than private pools can operate at? Especially in a day when these cities throughout the country are constantly crying poor?
For such a huge cash outlay to serve so few citizens ( a number that seems to be declining year to year, to boot) it sure looks like these pools are ripe for cost cutting measures that can save the city millions.
Instead of looking to raise taxes, how about taking sensible cost cutting measures, Toledo? Were I a Toledoan, I’d be requiring such an effort before I;d agree to a single penny in new taxes.
Good post Maggie!
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