After a public hearing, the council on March 9 approved a fee increase for the Seal Beach Junior Lifeguard Program. It was the last item on the March 9 agenda.
No members of the public spoke during the public hearing.
The cost will now be $700 per a resident’s first child and $675 per sibling. (The cost before the march 9 vote wasn’t in the staff report but it was on the redlined fee schedule. The new fee is a change from $650 for a resident’s first child and from $625 for that child’s siblings.)
The newly approved fee for non-residents would be $750 per non-resident’s child and $710 per sibling. The council also amended the city’s Cost Recovery Schedule to reflect the new fee.
The vote was unanimous.
The council also approved an amendment increasing the Junior Lifeguard budget for the current fiscal year by $17,500.
Marine Safety Chief Joe Bailey told the council that Newport Beach charges $1,000 for their program. According to Bailey, other cities have shorter programs.
Bailey acknowledged that the Junior Lifeguard program grew this year.
“I would love to have a 500-kid program, but the truth is, we have, on any given Wednesday, on this on a summer day, we have 20 Lifeguards working the beach and 20 Junior Lifeguard instructors. So at some point you get to an area where the tail is wagging the dog and it’s hard to manage having more kids in the program,” Bailey said.
Background
“The Seal Beach Marine Safety Junior Lifeguard Program is a summer recreational and educational program serving youth between the ages of 9 through 17. The program consists of one (1) seven-week session conducted during the summer season,” according to the staff report by Marine Safety Chief Joe Bailey.
“Participant registration fees are intended to recover the full cost of program operations, including uniforms (shorts, shirt, hat, and backpack), instructional staff wages, field trips, equipment, and administrative expenses,” Bailey wrote.
“In accordance with City policy, program fees are periodically evaluated to ensure alignment with actual program costs,” Bailey wrote.
“During the summer of 2025, program enrollment reached capacity earlier than anticipated, resulting in an increase in participant enrollment from 300 to 350 youth,” Bailey wrote.
“To maintain appropriate supervision levels and program quality standards, additional instructional staff was required,” Bailey wrote.
According to Bailey’s report, when the council increased the pay for part-time Marine Safety employees (on Oct. 13, 2025), that also added to the Junior Lifeguard Program’s costs.
“Given these factors, a fee adjustment is necessary to ensure continued cost recovery and ensure the ongoing financial sustainability of the Junior Lifeguard Program,” Bailey wrote.
“The proposed fee amounts described below were determined after reviewing the City’s overall cost of offering the program, including all labor costs and direct and indirect costs. Staff have determined that the fees do not exceed the cost of providing the service,” Bailey wrote.
