Faced with a room packed with swimmers and after receiving a wave of written comments, the Santa Maria City Council has granted the Paul Nelson Aquatic Center a possible reprieve.

At the start of budget discussions during Tuesday night’s meeting, Mayor Alice Patino addressed the proposal to close the pool for six months a year — from December through May. 

Patino noted the audience filled with “a lot of swimmers” and mentioned a significant number of comments sent to the city, assuring pool supporters that city leaders were listening to the feedback. 

“Rather than moving forward with an immediate closure, I’m requesting that the staff schedule a meeting to work closely with the leadership of the Santa Maria Swim Club,” Patino said.

After being alerted by Noozhawk about the six-month closure proposal included among budget measures, Santa Maria Swim Club leaders mobilized supporters, who sent a tsunami of written comments, reportedly numbering 120.

The mayor said the council’s budget committee made up of her and Councilwoman Gloria Soto would meet with city staff and swim club leaders in the coming days.

“Our goal is to address the current budget concerns and collaboratively work to explore any kind of resolution to preserve that year-round access that is essential to so many of our kids and adults here in Santa Maria,” Patino said as the standing-room-only crowd applauded and cheered.

Most of the members left the meeting before the staff spelled out the city’s budget woes.

The proposed six-month closure would have saved $344,000, according to the budget plan.

Santa Maria resident Nancy Jo Ward, a retired educator, noted that it’s the only city-operated pool in the valley and provided vital swimming lessons for decades.

“Every dollar matters, but I’d ask you to weigh the savings against the community as it stands to lose these services,” Ward said. “I’m hopeful that this council will explore alternatives before they vote.”

She suggested that the council consider increasing fees, forming community partnerships, reducing hours or taking other measures to raise revenue or reduce costs.

“I hope we can find a way to keep Paul Nelson open for the community that depends on it,” Ward said. 

The council unanimously voted to delay the discussion on the topic related to the pool’s operating hours.

The proposed two-year budget covering 2026-27 and 2027-28 attempts to close a shortfall identified as $25.1 million.

To reduce the deficit, the city undertook a budget rebalancing effort that included multiple measures, such as offering new revenue options, eliminating vacant positions, implementing a hiring chill and more. 

The council also agreed to place a 0.50% sales tax hike on the Nov. 3 ballot. If approved, the measure would boost the current sales tax rate in the city from 8.75% to 9.25%. 

Finance Director Rebecca Campbell provided a quick look at various steps to close the gap, but bypassed the pool item. 

“But we will have to work on that $344,000 — that will be something we will need to figure out,” Campbell said.

The spending blueprint also suggests eliminating limited service positions involving the library, Recreation and Parks, and other departments.

“This could be an impact to service levels,” she said.

That means the city may trim library hours by eight hours a week, or it could impact Recreation and Parks programs, Campbell said.

The draft budget also has supplemental budget revisions such as general liability and workers compensation insurance and claims increases.

The schedule calls for adoption of the two-year budget of $367.4 million for the 2026-27 fiscal year and $425.3 million 2027-28 at the City Council’s June 16 meeting. The new fiscal year begins July 1.