City swimming pool fees may not go up as much as once expected.

At tonight’s City Commission meeting, staff members will float a new proposal that would increase fees for the city’s indoor and outdoor aquatic centers to $3 for children, teens and senior citizens. Originally Lawrence Parks and Recreation Department leaders had suggested a rate of $4.

Currently, children older than 4 are charged $1.75, while teens and seniors are charged $2.50 for daily admission. Under both plans, the adult fee would increase from $3.75 to $4.

“This is more to my liking,” City Commissioner Boog Highberger said of the proposal. “I was going to propose a $2.50 fee, but I might be able to live with $3.”

Highberger and Mayor Sue Hack last week asked staff members to come up with a plan that would lessen the effect of a fee increase on low-income children.

Whether the new plan will make a splash with the other commissioners remains to be seen. Commissioner Mike Dever said he has reservations about not following through with a full fee increase.

That’s because staff members said the most recent plan would result in $47,000 less in revenue than originally expected. The $47,000 would have to be made up – either through a 0.05 mill levy increase or a reduction in maintenance spending for parks and recreation facilities.

“It seems like we might be putting other things on hold that need to be done,” Dever said.

A mill levy increase to make up for the shortage would amount to $1.15 more per year for the owner of a $200,000 home. But Dever said he doesn’t want to begin going down the road of property tax rate increases.

In addition to the pool issue, city commissioners have been asked to consider a 1 mill increase to cover costs for the public transit system and provide a 2 percent raise for city employees.

Highberger said he may use tonight’s meeting to argue for a mill levy increase, not only for the pool but also for public transit and employee wages.

“Our tax rates are really pretty reasonable,” Highberger said. “If you have a $200,000 house, your city property taxes are about $50 per month, which is less than what most people pay for cell phone bills.”