Ellis vows to preserve Barton Springs fees

Council Member Paige Ellis took to X on Tuesday to declare that she was “fighting to keep pools affordable and accessible for all” after word got out that this year’s budget included increased fees for Austin pools. Ellis explained that, during today’s budget hearing, staff would bring forth an amendment to keep fees at the current level. She told the Austin Monitor that her aim was to not increase any pool fees this year. Under the current budget proposal, pools with entry fees would see an increase from $5 to $8 for adult residents and annual passes would increase to $270 from the current range, which is $180 to $255.