A swim center in Tracy could be built by 2013, and if it had all the amenities once showcased for the public, it would cost the city $21.2 million, a consultant’s report says.

Because Tracy has $13 million set aside for the water playground, consultants suggest city officials prioritize what gets built first, after hearing from residents.

The City Council is scheduled to discuss the proposed aquatics center Tuesday, along with a timeline that will lead to its construction.

The first thing the council should do is have meetings next year where residents can say what they want in the swim center, a consultant hired by developer Les Serpa suggested.

Serpa is on the hook to give the city $10 million and more than 10 acres of land to build the swim center. In exchange, the city gave Serpa’s company, The Surland Cos., the rights to build 2,250 homes on about 300 acres on the northwest corner of Linne and Corral Hollow roads, where the swim center is slated to be built.

Serpa originally proposed giving the city $20 million and about 20 acres of land, and plans for an elaborate swim center were dangled in public. It now seems the City Council might have to pare down the aquatics center to fit its budget.

The work of Serpa’s consultant, Aquatic Design Group, which looked over swim center plans at no cost to the city, was reviewed by a city-hired consultant firm, William Haralson and Associates Inc., which concurred with Aquatic Design’s conclusions, a report to the council says.

Consultants say the more slides, waterways and pools the park has, the more people will use it and the smaller the admission charge must be. But they agree that a 50-meter pool is an expensive item with high maintenance costs that should be at the bottom of the priority list.

Many things on the swim center wish list would be used about 150 days a year, such as a lazy river, waterslides, a shallow pool, a “wet play structure,” a wave machine, and a spray fountain where kids can frolic. Both consultants noted that a 50-meter pool would be used year-round.

If all of that is built, consultants predict 84,900 attendees the first year, rising to 93,000 by the center’s fifth year. Consultants claim the aquatics center could recover 100 percent of its operating cost, minus administrative costs and other overhead.

If a smaller version is built, they predict user fees would cover 68 percent of the operating costs.