Lynbrook board rejects 10 percent increase to fees for village pool admission

Hikes still being mulled for 2020

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The Lynbrook village board discussed and  ultimately rejected  a 10 percent increase to membership fees for the Village Pool for 2020 at its Feb. 3 meeting.

Mayor Alan Beach said the board rejected the notion of raising fees for families, teens, adults, seniors, couples, non-residents and Rockville Centre residents, by 10 percent — increases anywhere from $10 to $30 — but may adjust some pricing to make up for increased costs. He noted that the village has not increased prices for pool entry since 2016.

“Since that time, New York state has raised the minimum wage in consecutive years,” Beach explained, “and has compounded the amount we had to increase the pool budget for payroll expenses for hourly minimum wage workers, which totaled over $100,000 annually.”

While a 10 percent increase across the board was rejected, village officials tabled further discussion about increasing fees until its next meeting on March 16.

Beach noted that some of the increases the board looked at were a $5 hike for senior citizens and children, and a $15 jump for couples. If that were approved, the senior cost for a seasonal membership would go from $145 to $150, while children’s rates would jump from $115 to $120. Couples would pay $300, up from $275 in 2019.

Lynbrook officials have also had an agreement with Rockville Centre for many years to allow its residents to use the pool at a higher rate than Lynbrook residents, and Beach said the board was contemplating raising their rate by $25. Last summer, it cost Rockville Centre adults $520 to be a member and $245 for children.

Beach said that though he would rather not raise the rates at all, the escalating payroll could cause a $163,000 deficit to run the pool. Last year, the pool raised about $280,000 for the village.