The Parks and Recreation Committee unanimously agreed on Thursday to direct the Facilities Board to submit a plan by October that would cut $50,000 in the first year and an additional $100,000 in the second year from Thunder Bayou Golf Course's deficit.
Councilman L. C. Hartsfield told the committee that now that they have appointed a few new members to the facilities board, and since they accepted the board's recommendation not to hire a management company, it was time the board submit their own plan for how to shrink the golf course's deficit.
"They need to show us how they are going to reduce that gap. The only other alternative is to take it to the voters and if we do that, I'm going to tell you what's going to happen - it's going to close. There is no doubt about that. . .I'm not saying they have to get it to zero, because we know we're always going to lose money there, but $350,000 dollars there is just, well everybody in this room agrees can be better spent somewhere else," he said.
"Are we talking about cutting $50,000 from this year's budget? Or are we talking about an average over the last few years? Cause this year is probably the largest," Councilman Tommy Abbott said.
The committee unanimously passed the motion. Numerous City Council members told the CN that they had personally notified and had requested that someone from the Facilities Board attend yesterday's meeting. However, no members were present.
Councilman R. L. Jones suggested that Hartsfield go to one of the Facilities Board meetings, as a representative of the council. Councilman Abbott explained that he had only been to a couple of meetings himself because it was scheduled at the same exact time as the city council meets.
"I agree with what you [Hartsfield] said, and I voted for it too. . .We need to have a conversation with the chairman and the committee before we give them a deadline," Jones said.
"Well, the deadline would be whenever we start getting in the number for our budget," explained Abbott.
"The mayor needs numbers in October so that he can get numbers together in November," Hartsfield added.
"If you [Parks Director Elroy Brown] were at a meeting where one of the members was quoted in the paper I hope you corrected them. Stated they did not understand why city officials expect the golf course to make a profit. Mr. Hartsfield has already addressed that. Nobody has ever said that they thought it should make a profit. Not any municipal golf course is likely to make a profit. They are being quoted in the paper as saying, we are the only part of parks and rec that turns money into the city. They think the golf course should operate in the black. They said that no part of parks and rec, baseball, museum, soccer or the swimming pool turns money into the city. Now that's incorrect, we know the swimming pool collects money and turns it in. They are complaining that the Mayor, city council and city leaders need to stop talking negatively about them. Well, there's the negativity right there. . . our expectations and their expectations are not the same. Mr. [Cecil] Brown has been here when we have discussed getting that gap cut down, but one of their board members was quoted as saying that we think they should make a profit. We never said that," Snow said.
Snow also called for more detailed reports from the board that indicated what activities and tournaments were coming up, as well as detailed financial information. Information such as how much income comes from greens fees, cart rentals, merchandise and concessions. He also called for an examination of price margins.
"I'm saying let's have checks and balances. I want to see a full breakdown of their operating budget. I mean, how many members do we have? I know there are different kinds of memberships, but how much is being collected. Let's get a much more detailed plan. That board came to this committee and said we don't agree with that proposal and we don't like it at all. So they need to come up with a proposal to do what the company said they can do," Snow said.
"That's what it's going to take," Hartsfield agreed.
"Well there is a gap where information from this committee is not getting to all members of that board. . .but this committee has never said that we expect them to make a profit. We'd be tickled to death if they would cut that in half and get that down to where it is more manageable," Snow said.
"We want the whole Board to know that if they have anything they don't understand they are welcome to come ask the committee questions. Because like Councilman Hartsfield said, we have to answer to the general public because that is our job, to make sure that every dollar is being given account of. It's not that we're here to pick on the golf course, we're here to promote and make sure that they have all the tools to make it work out there for them same as the other departments," Jones said.
thenry@blythevillecourier.com