(The Center Square) – Facing a $9 million deficit, the Yakima City Council is considering cuts that could shutter the only indoor pool open for public use, upending several youth swimming teams mid-season.
The officials cut general fund spending by $3 million over the summer, hoping voters would approve a $6 million tax hike, but 51% rejected it earlier this month. Now, the council is considering $6 million in reductions that would close a fire station and cut funding for about 50 positions if approved on Dec. 2.
The proposal cuts funding for the Yakima Police Department by $3 million, the Yakima Fire Department by $1.75 million, and Parks and Recreation by $1.4 million. While YFD plans to reallocate staff to other stations, YPD would lose about 19 budgeted positions, with Parks and Recreation facing the loss of 31.
“You let them start practice, and now your team, your leadership team, is going to rip that away?” one parent, Brittany Merriman, said Tuesday. “Once a pool gets shut down, it’s not going to open up again.”
Tuesday’s meeting lasted for more than five hours, including nearly two hours of public testimony just on the 2026 budget alone. The vast majority of residents urged the city to find alternative ways to keep the Lions Pool open, as seven school districts, even outside of the city of Yakima, use the indoor facility.
Carl Scott, swim coach for Davis High School, said closing the pool would be the equivalent of shutting down every football field from Naches to Sunnyside, which are separated by about 50 miles. Some of the local swim programs started this month and run through February, as funding could dry up on Dec. 31.
There’s a YMCA in Yakima, but several parents said it doesn’t allow their child’s team to practice there.
The $1.4 million cut to Parks and Recreation would end general fund support for a community center and a senior-citizen center, the Lions Pool and reduce parks maintenance by 16%. The pool only accounts for a fraction of that reduction, but it will likely close unless local nonprofits or the school districts step in.
“I really want to encourage the swim team parents, especially, that if it’s for the schools, then to take your voices to the school board,” Mayor Patricia Byers said Tuesday. “Express the same things to them that you have expressed to the council tonight, because those are potential partners and solving this problem.”
Some residents suggested implementing a temporary utility tax increase until 2027, vowing to gather support if they put another levy on the ballot as well. Finance Director Craig Warner said that for every 1% increase in the utility tax rate, the city could raise $600,000, which could go toward the Lions Pool.
Another option is a 0.1% public safety sales tax that the council can pass without voter approval, even though it rejected another tax hike just this month. Deputy Mayor Matt Brown asked city staff how much it would cost to keep the pool open through February, but they didn’t have that readily available.
The council ultimately directed city staff to return on Dec. 2 with more information on the public safety sales tax and increasing the utility tax rate. In a separate vote, the council also directed staff to find a way to keep the pool open until at least the end of February so the swim teams can finish the season.
“This pool is not a luxury. It’s a lifeline. It is my lifeline,” another resident, Sharon Madson, who swims daily, testified. “Goodbye, Lions pool. You held my weight when I could not stand. You gave breath to my lungs, your peace, strength and healing. A part of my heart will forever stay in your water.”
