Austin extends pool season due to heatwave and increased lifeguard hiring; wage and holiday pay issues arise

AUSTIN, Texas — Between this unrelenting heatwave and having enough lifeguards on the payroll, some pools in Austin will be able to stay open longer.

Six seasonal pools in the city will now be open until September 24.

The city of Austin was able to fill more than 800 lifeguard positions this year. All of them are also now getting paid $20 an hour.

For some people, like Scott Cobb, who is a city of Austin lifeguard, that didn’t seem like enough.

“Reaching the $22 living wage is something we should work on,” Cobb said at last week’s City Council Budget Work Session.

While pushing for higher pay, Cobb also explained that temporary lifeguards don’t get any incentives for working a holiday.

“You could implement that at an incremental amount by one or two holidays – July 4, Juneteenth – we work on those days without getting holiday pay, although our managers do,” he said.

Lifeguards not getting holiday pay was news to some on the council like District Six council member Mackenzie Kelly, who wanted that addressed during Tuesday’s meeting.

“Are lifeguards not getting holiday pay?” she asked Interim City Manager Jesús Garza. “It’s my understanding they don’t get that.”

Members then asked the Austin Human Resources Department if it was possible to find out the cost of providing lifeguards with holiday pay.

“They work the summer months, there are lots of holidays during the summer, and I would just like to see what impact to the budget that might have if that happens,” Kelly said.

Providing lifeguards with paid training, instead of the $400 bonus given after completing training, implementing a bilingual stipend, and starting a program that allows lifeguards to be hired within other city departments that have vacancies, like the 911 call center, were also brought up and discussed.