Frequently Asked Questions
There is a lot to understand about the proposal, including what would be built, what each ballot question does, how a local use tax works and what happens next.
On Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026, Chesterfield voters will be asked to decide two ballot questions about the future of the City's Aquatic Center.
Prop. A asks whether the City should issue $34.5 million in general obligation bonds to build a new Aquatic Center.
Prop. Q asks whether the City should enact a local use tax on qualifying out-of-state and online purchases to repay those bonds.
Together, Props. A & Q create one plan that requires two votes. They are also easy to remember because A and Q are the first two letters in AQuatic.
Below are answers to frequently asked questions about Props. A & Q, the proposed Aquatic Center and how the plan would be funded. This FAQ will be updated as additional information becomes available.
The questions are categorized as follows:
About Props. A & Q
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Props. A & Q are two ballot questions that work together to fund a new Chesterfield Aquatic Center.
Prop. A would authorize the City to issue $34.5 million in general obligation bonds to build the facility. Prop. Q would establish a local use tax on qualifying out-of-state and online purchases. The City's plan is to use the use tax revenue to repay the bonds instead of additional property taxes.
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Missouri law requires general obligation bonds and a local use tax to be approved separately by voters.
Prop. A provides the general obligation bond financing for the construction of the Aquatic Center. Prop. Q provides the proposed revenue source to repay the bonds without increasing property taxes. By using general obligation bonds, the city gets a more favorable interest rate than with alternative financing options such as Revenue Bonds or a Lease-Purchase. It is one Aquatic Center plan with two votes: A & Q for AQuatic.
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The current Chesterfield Family Aquatic Center is scheduled to close permanently after the 2026 season.
The facility is approaching 30 years old, and many of its major systems are original. It has become too expensive to maintain and repair. The City has been studying options for the Aquatic Center since 2022 and is now asking voters whether to move forward with a replacement facility.
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The propositions would fund a new Aquatic Center at the site of the current facility in Central Park.
The preliminary plan includes a recreation pool, zero-entry area and splash pad, lazy river, water slides, an eight-lane lap pool and dedicated diving well, shaded seating, updated locker rooms and family changing areas, expanded parking and a year-round multipurpose room.
The Current Aquatic Center
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The Chesterfield Family Aquatic Center opened in 1998 and is approaching its 30th anniversary. Many of the pool’s major systems and components are original to the facility and have reached or are nearing the end of their useful life.
The age of the facility is creating increasingly difficult maintenance problems. The pool is experiencing leaks, major mechanical and filtration systems require ongoing repairs, and replacement parts for some of the original equipment are becoming difficult or impossible to find. Each spring, the City makes significant repairs just to prepare the Aquatic Center to open for another season.
At this point, the issue is no longer routine maintenance. The City is working to keep nearly 30-year-old systems operating even as those systems continue to deteriorate and become more difficult to repair.
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Yes. The Chesterfield Family Aquatic Center is scheduled to close permanently after the 2026 season.
The closure has been included in the City's five-year plan for several years and will happen regardless of the outcome of Props. A & Q. The decision before voters is whether Chesterfield moves forward with a replacement facility.
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The pool shell, filtration system and much of the mechanical equipment date to 1998.
Repairs have kept the facility operating, but they do not address the age of the underlying systems. As those systems continue to age, repairs become more frequent and the potential for major equipment failure increases.
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ANSWER COMING
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The current facility would still close after the 2026 season.
The City estimates it would cost approximately $3 million to demolish the existing Aquatic Center, remove the facilities and restore the site to green space in Central Park. Chesterfield would no longer have a City-operated aquatic facility.
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City Council identified the future of the Aquatic Center as part of its Strategic Plan in 2022. A Pool Feasibility Study followed in 2023.
Planning continued over the next several years as the City reviewed the condition of the current facility, replacement options and potential costs.
How the Plan Was Developed
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The City began a planning and design process in 2025 that included meetings with pool users, residents, Parks staff, advisory groups, City Council and the Mayor.
The City also conducted a community survey, held two public open houses in March 2026 and shared information through City communications, including The Chesterfield Citizen and ChesterfieldPool.com.
Feedback from residents helped guide the design and identify priorities for a replacement facility.
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The design team developed four initial site concepts, including an option that would close the pool and return the site to green space.
Following community review and feedback, the concepts were narrowed to two replacement options. Preliminary plans, cost estimates and operating projections were presented to City Council in May 2026. Council directed the team to continue developing Preliminary Site Plan 2, which is the basis for the current proposal.
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Yes. In October 2025, City Council members, Parks staff and the design team toured aquatic facilities in Webster Groves, Missouri, O'Fallon, Illinois, and Collinsville, Illinois.
The City also reviewed aquatic facilities throughout the St. Louis region as part of its planning and market analysis.
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At a special City Council meeting on July 21, 2026, the design team presented community feedback, survey results, the Comprehensive Report, cost estimates and financing options.
Council directed staff to develop ballot language for the Nov. 3, 2026, election. Under Missouri law, ballot language had to be certified to the St. Louis County Board of Election Commissioners by Aug. 25, 2026.
What the Plan Includes
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The preliminary plan reflects priorities identified through the City's planning and community engagement process. It includes:
Shaded seating and viewing areas
Energy-efficient and sustainable pool operating systems
A large recreation pool with play features and a zero-entry splash pad
Updated, accessible locker rooms and family changing areas
A larger lazy river for recreation and low-impact exercise
Water slides
An eight-lane lap pool with a dedicated diving well for exercise, swim lessons and the swim and dive team
Expanded parking for pool and park users
A year-round multipurpose room for senior programs, summer camp, party rentals and community gatherings
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The new Aquatic Center would be built at the site of the current facility in Central Park.
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Yes. The preliminary plan includes an indoor multipurpose space of roughly 2,200 square feet, sized for about 150 people.
The space could be used throughout the year for senior programs, summer camps, birthday parties, community meetings and other activities.
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If Props. A & Q are approved, the City would move into final design and construction planning, with the goal of opening the new Aquatic Center for the 2028 season.
Cost and Finances
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Prop. A asks voters whether the City should issue $34.5 million in general obligation bonds to build the new Aquatic Center.
A bond allows the City to finance a major project and repay the cost over time, much like a mortgage. Rather than paying the entire amount at once, Prop. A is a way for the City to borrow money for large projects and repay them with future tax proceeds.
The additional investment for the owner of a $472,500 house, about the median for Chesterfield, would be $71.82 a year or around $6 a month. If Prop. Q is also approved; homeowners would not see this cost increase.
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Prop. Q asks voters whether Chesterfield should enact a local use tax on qualifying out-of-state and online purchases.
The City's financing plan is to use revenue from Prop. Q to repay the bonds authorized under Prop. A without changing the City's property tax rate.
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A use tax applies to qualifying purchases from out-of-state and online sellers when local sales tax is not already being collected.
It is not an additional tax on top of sales tax. A purchase is subject to either sales tax or use tax, not both.
Most major online retailers already collect applicable state and local sales tax on purchases delivered to Chesterfield, so a City use tax would not apply to those purchases. Missouri already has a state use tax. Prop. Q would add Chesterfield's local portion where applicable.
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No. A purchase is subject to either sales tax or use tax, never both.
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The use tax would be set at the same rate as the City's existing local sales tax, which is 1%. It would not apply to purchases made at Chesterfield stores or restaurants.
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The City's financing plan is to use Prop. Q use tax revenue to repay the Aquatic Center bonds without using property taxes.
Under Missouri law, general obligation bonds are secured by the City's taxing authority.
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Aquatic Center operations, programs and expenses are funded through the Parks Sales Tax, the half-cent sales tax Chesterfield voters approved in November 2004.
There is no General Fund subsidy for the Aquatic Center, and Parks Sales Tax funds may only be used for park facilities.
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The City's financial advisor, Piper Sandler, prepared preliminary financing models based on a $34.5 million project fund with repayment over 18 or 20 years.
The final financing structure would be determined when the bonds are issued.
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Construction costs are expected to continue increasing over time.
The City estimates that delaying the vote from November 2026 to April 2027 would add approximately $427,000 to the construction cost and could move the opening of a replacement facility from 2028 to 2029.
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No. Bond proceeds must be used for the purpose stated in the proposition on the ballot.
Election Day & Voting Information
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Election Day is Tuesday, November 3, 2026. The polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.
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PROP. A
Shall the City of Chesterfield, Missouri, issue its general obligation bonds in the amount of $34,500,000 for the purpose of reconstructing, renovating, improving, furnishing and equipping the City’s Aquatic Center?PROP. Q
Shall the City of Chesterfield, Missouri impose a local use tax at the same rate as the City’s total local sales tax rate with the intent to commit such local use tax, subject to annual appropriation by the City Council, for purposes of paying general obligation bonds issued by the City for reconstructing, renovating, improving, furnishing, and equipping the City’s Aquatic Center and, if the City has no such general obligation bonds outstanding, for purposes of public safety, all subject to applicable state law, provided that if the City’s local sales tax rate is reduced or raised by voter approval, the local use tax rate shall also be reduced or raised by the same action? -
Prop. A requires a four-sevenths majority, or 57.14%, of votes cast.
Prop. Q requires a simple majority, 50% plus one.
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All registered voters in the City of Chesterfield are eligible to vote in this election. A person may register to vote who is a United States citizen, is at least 18 years old by Election Day, is a resident of Missouri and the City, and is not registered to vote in another jurisdiction.
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Voter registration for the November 3 election closes Wednesday, October 7, 2026. Registration is handled by the St. Louis County Board of Election Commissioners. Visit stlouiscountymo.gov or call (314) 615-1800.
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Missouri offers no-excuse absentee and early voting in the weeks before Election Day. For early voting dates, locations and hours, and to request an absentee ballot, contact the St. Louis County Board of Election Commissioners at stlouiscountymo.gov or (314) 615-1800.
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Registered voters in St. Louis County can vote at any polling place in the County, including City Hall. Additional information is available through the St. Louis County Board of Election Commissioners.
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Yes. Community organizations, homeowner associations and other groups may request an informational presentation about the Aquatic Center plan and Props. A & Q. Elliot Brown, Assistant City Administrator, ebrown@chesterfield.mo.us
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Additional information about the Aquatic Center plan, Props. A & Q, and updates as they become available is at ChesterfieldPool.com. Questions may also be directed to the Assistant City Administrator at 636-537-4705.