By Sara Quam
The Pool Commission Tuesday rescinded the 50-percent rate increase it intended to implement July 1. It had a special meeting to clarify its role in the decision-making process for the Rock County Community Pool and Fitness Center.
The Pool Commission reported its decision in a joint meeting with the Rock County Board and Luverne City Council.
Most of the commission members agreed that their previous decision was hasty. However, they disagreed on how the decision was approached and reached.
Glen Gust, who made the motion to increase rates by 50 percent, maintains the hike was recommended by Pool and Fitness Center Director Darrell Huiskes.
He said Huiskes said it would take a 104-percent increase to make up for a deficit. The commission then decided to raise rates to the halfway point.
Huiskes said he was simply informing the commission of the figuring he had done and didn't want a steep increase. He said, "Glen said at the beginning of that meeting that the city and county were no longer going to fund the facility."
Gust said, "I only said that the deficit can't continue to grow, but I think recreation should be funded."
Carol Wessels, Pool and Fitness Center manager, said she is concerned that Gust is passing blame to management when he fields phone calls from unhappy members. She also said that Gust indicated that government funding would cease.
Laurie Ketterling, new commission member, said Gust's words must have been misinterpreted.
The commission's role
Aside from rehashing the past meeting, the commission took another look at its place as an advisory board to the joint powers who run the Pool and Fitness Center - the Rock County Board and the Luverne City Council.
After the controversy from the announced rate increase, City and County Attorney Don Klosterbuer interpreted the joint powers agreement. He said the commission doesn't have the right to raise rates without the approval of county and city government.
"I don't understand. If we don't have the authority, what's our purpose? It seems like a time waster," Gust said.
Later at the City Council meeting, Klosterbuer explained that numerous committees advise elected people to make final decisions, and that their research and time allow elected officers to make informed votes.
In the past, the Pool Commission set rate increases but usually worked it into budget talks so the city and county governments approved them. Even though it was inappropriately raising rates, it wasn't noticed until this situation caused the attorney to look at it because of the controversy.
Commission member Damon Eisma said, "I still think it has to be raised, but now we can look at it again and do it right."
As one of three new members, Eisma voted in favor of the raise at his second commission meeting and would have liked to have spent more time researching and being informed before he was "inundated with calls and letters."
In just two weeks, the Pool and Fitness Center filed 32 cancelled memberships.
Ketterling said, "The main complaint I've heard is that we can raise the price mid-contract and they can't get out of it mid-contract." She said the commission should look into a one-time escape clause that would make those members feel better about a rate increase.
Eisma agreed. "If we're going to raise it upwards of 30, 40 percent, we're going to have to take extraordinary steps," he said.