They say a friend in times of need is a friend, indeed, and by that measure, the City of Mesa is a very good friend to Mesa Public Schools.
The city and school district are closing in on an updated aquatic facilities use agreement that would have the city take over about $1 million in costs per year for electricity, water and gas at Mesa’s pools, which are jointly operated on MPS property.
The shift in financial burden might result in Mesa residents getting expanded access to the pools.
Currently, MPS is responsible for all the utilities, and the city is responsible for all the maintenance and upkeep, as per a 1986 agreement. In the updated agreement, the city would take both while charging MPS a $280,000 fee for the school teams to use the pools.
MPS Assistant Superintendent Scott Thompson said the original agreement needed to be modernized.
“The nature of the aquatics centers, how we use them, has changed over time,” Thompson said, adding that the agreement will “better reflect where we are in 2024.”
Mesa’s willingness to take on the utility costs at a time when the city is facing budget challenges of its own may be a testament to its close relationship with MPS.
Both are facing financial stress: MPS is trying to “skinny-down” a planned $47 million capital expenditure budget to $32 million, due to the failure of last year’s bond question; Mesa is trying to trim base budgets by 2% due to the loss of rental tax revenue and reduced state shared revenue.
“They need to cut back,” City Manager Chris Brady said of MPS at a recent study session in which he and other city staff explained the proposed revision.
Mesa Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities Department’s assumption of pool utilities next year is the second-highest budget “enhancement” proposed for Parks and Rec’s upcoming budget.
The department included the pool agreement update in a presentation on April 1 as part of the budget adoption process.
Under the almost 40-year-old agreement outlining the joint operations of the city’s nine pool facilities, the city is responsible for maintenance all year, and MPS is responsible for utilities all year.
The agreement also states that the school district will have “basic charge” of the pools during the school year, and the city will have “basic charge” of the pools in the summer.
Thompson said the updated agreement “will make it very clear the city can program the pool the way they want.”
The pools, located at junior and senior high schools, are a point of pride for the city.
“The aquatics program that the city of Mesa has is one of the best reasons to live in Mesa, Arizona,” Mayor John Giles said recently.
In 2022, the school district estimated that it spent $1.3 million on utilities for the pools. The schools use the pools for sports teams and physical education classes and other activities.
But according to city staff, the school district believes its programming only accounts for a small percentage of its annual pool utility expenditure.
It is seeking to right-size its share of utilities and move $1 million in costs from its books to Mesa’s. The city staff and council members seemed willing to accommodate.
Under the deal taking shape, the city would take charge of all the utilities and MPS would pay an annual fee to the city. MPS would pay $1 million next year and then taper down to $280,000 annually – what the school district estimates its athletic teams use in a typical year.
Mesa would continue to pay for pool maintenance all year in addition to the bulk of utilities. If MPS needs to access the pool for additional programs, it would pay Mesa a fee at a fixed rate.
What does the city get out of this change other than helping a friend?
Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities Director Andrea Moore said the updated agreement might mean greater access to the pools for the public during the school year.
“We’re looking at additional lap swim time, fitness programs like water aerobics … in the pools during the school day,” Moore said.
The city manager suggested the city’s ownership of utilities might also give the Mesa recreation department more priority at the pools.
City council members did not offer opposition to the plan.
“It makes sense,” Councilman Mark Freeman said.
But Freeman and Vice Mayor Francisco Heredia also wanted to know if the new deal would lead to additional city programs at the pools.
Thompson said it would.
“The city will have complete control over the pools with the exception of the time that we use it for” sports teams, he said.
