Salt Lake County Council addressing community pool staffing shortage
Nov 2, 2021, 7:07 PM | Updated: 9:18 pm
SALT LAKE CITY – Salt Lake County leaders met Tuesday morning to discuss a worker shortage that could cause some indoor public pools to close or alter operating times.
During the county council meeting, some leaders asked how it became an issue at the pools.
Pool officials said the main reason is because many of their workers were students who had to return to school in the fall.
Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson proposed an increase for employees in next year’s budget.
She hopes that if they offer a more competitive pay, then they can attract more employees.
The proposal would offer a raise of up to 2.75% to current employees and a minimum living wage of $15 an hour for all permanent, full-time employees.
The County plans to recruit more people for lifeguard training and certification with the proposed pay increase.
In the meantime, some pools have already reduced hours or closed certain sections during operating hours.