City of Casper: Optional One-Cent Sales Tax Kept Pool Prices Low

The City of Casper kept its pool admission prices low this year due to financial help from the renewal of the Optional One-Cent Sales Tax in November, according to a press release from the city on Monday.

The City Council allocated $325,000 annually to keep the prices low from 2023 to 2027, which aligns with what Natrona County residents said they wanted in a 2022 survey.

In the survey, 82% of county citizens listed sports and physical fitness as “very important,” “important” or somewhat important,” and 85% of respondents also considered community assistance important, consistent with the same scale.

As a result, City Council designated $2.6 million and $3 million to those two categories, of which $325,000 went directly to lowering pool admission prices.

Without the Optional One-Cent Tax, daily admission prices would have increased dramatically at every pool.

These are the admission prices with the support and the estimated prices without the support:

• Marion Kreiner Pool: $0 - $7.25.
• Mike Sedar Pool: $5 - $12.25.
• Paradise Valley Pool: $4.50 - $11.75.
• Washington Park Pool: $3.50 - $10.75.
• Aquatics Center: $6.50 - $13.75

In fiscal year 2023, there were about 39,634 daily admissions at the pools. (The Marion Kreiner Pool does not track exact admissions without daily admission.

Pool visitors include residents from across the county and state, and the City of Casper is the only municipality in Natrona County with public pools.)

Casper has an unusually high number of public pools. By way of comparison, Cheyenne, despite a higher population, has one outdoor and one indoor pool.

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Since 1974, Optional One-Cent revenues have financed most major City of Casper and Natrona County capital projects. It supports essential, emergency and recreational services including water main replacement, street repairs, police car purchases, and recreational subsidies.