Yet even more Golf
The City's golf struggles continue. Apparently, we have already subsidized operations to the tune of $725,000.00 in "recent years" according to the Tribune. This is absolutely mind-boggling given that the revenues run a little over $1,000,000.00 year. How are they losing so much money?
Some, including Aaron, suggest that we sell one of the courses. While I do not like the idea of selling a city asset (how about a long-term lease to a pizza joint for a buck a year?), it may be the only way out of this mess.
Think about that for a moment. This is, according to former Mayor Gray, the best managed city in the state. And yet we have to sell city assets to cover for inept management? What am I missing here?
Look at it this way. What if, due to an inability to manage its budget, the City was contemplating selling parks off to pay its bonds? Or maybe we could sell the Civic Center?
Where is the accountability? Is someone going to even ask the question? Who's running this joint?
7 comments:
I don't like the idea either, but I think it may be necessary.
If a responsible business is faced with a non-performing division, that division will not last long. I am not saying that golf needs to be a money maker. However, it needs to pay for itself.
In a similar fashion, it should cover its own debt. If it can't do that from operations, then it should have to do so through liquidations.
Harsh, but if I have to choose between taking on the golf debt as a city general fund obligation or selling a course; I will vote to sell a course.
And we should all be taking up pitchforks and lighting torches to go after those that put us in this mess.
The latter are my sentiments exactly.
Aaron,
If golf should pay for itself how do you feel about the swimming pools? Shouldn't they pay for themselves too?
City management has some serious problems to fix!
Panda; I would say that any activity that is not inherently governmental in nature (police, fire, etc.) should be operated by the city on a break-even basis. I am not saying that they shouldn't operate those resources, as they provide a real benefit to residents where commercial operations might not exist.
However, they should be break even.
As for the Wave Rider white elephant, I don't really know. The Mitchell is a great resource, and has been operated as a public pool for decades. We shouldn't have built the Wave Rider, but I think we are stuck with it.
Soon we'll have a "Wave Rider Coal Fired Generator Plant," and if we're lucky we'll have a "Wave Rider Public Power Transmission System."
Thank you Aaron.
I wanted your opinion on wheather or not other entities run by the city needed to be held to the same standards.
I feel the Mitchell & Nat have the greatest potential for making a profit.
Sell it. Mr. Reppe is smoking something if he thinks property owners are going to vote to have their taxes go up to pay off any of the golf course debt. That vote is DOA.
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