ASHLAND — Ashland City Council passed a 2018 budget that includes funding to keep Brookside Golf Course operating through the end of the year — after a heated debate.
The budget features more than $60 million in appropriations. Council passed it unanimously at the mayor’s recommendation, including approximately $141,000 transfer from the general fund to the golf course fund. Coupled with a $61,000 carryover from last year, the budget indicates the course expects to bring in $200,000 less than it spends this year.
Council member Bob Valentine said he supports the golf course and always will. But Mayor Matt Miller and four of the five council members — Steve Workman, Dan Lawson, Al Farnam and Dennis Miller — all indicated they would not allow deficit spending to continue.
“Bottom line, it’s the 11th hour. It’s a make or break year.,” Dennis Miller said. “We need all hands on deck, raising as much money in any possible way to prove this has a chance of being self-sustainable or at least lower the subsidy.”
Matt Miller said the golf course’s funding history shows the deficit is growing every year.
“We can’t keep paying more and more and more to keep the golf course when there are other critical issues out here that we could use that general revenue fund money for,” he said.
Miller advised council to take three steps he believes could help the course break even this year. They include raising fees, re-evaluation of staffing levels and considering staffing changes and allowing community member Gene Haberman to pursue his plan to sell sponsorships at the course.
“I say all of that knowing that on the horizon are major capital improvements such as the irrigation system and so on, which it’s been estimated that those could cost several hundred thousand dollars, and quite frankly, today I have no idea where that money would come from,” Miller said.
Lawson suggested in addition to the three suggestions he would like to see a viable business plan set forth for the course. Farnam said he believes city leaders need to take a more active role in supervision of the golf course.
“We need to take a better look at the books and the whole operation and how it’s running because I don’t think that’s been done in the past. I think it’s worth a chance to do that, especially with us new council members coming in,” Farnam said.
Several community members spoke both in favor of and against maintaining Brookside Golf Course as a public course at the expense of taxpayers.
Haberman reiterated a plea to council that he made at a previous council work session Feb. 10, saying that if the course is going to have any chance of fundraising and selling sponsorships, the community needs to hear the council is in favor of keeping the course open for more than one year.
“This council has to be a little more positive than saying, ‘Let’s take a look at it and maybe next year we’ll close it.’ We’ve got to talk about it for some long term future … I spent 35 years raising money, and I can tell you right now that no one wants to give money to a dying cause,” Haberman said.
In response, Miller said city leaders “would be foolish” to talk about Brookside having a long-term future as a public golf course “because we absolutely do not know that that’s the case.”
Community member Bob Archer offered an opposing view.
“We’ve heard this story for six years now. It’s always going to get better, but it never does get better,” Archer said. “Why should we taxpayers subsidize Gene Haberman playing golf? Why should we do that?”
Haberman suggested that Archer’s opposition to the golf course stems from Archer’s role as an investor in Ashland’s other golf course, Ashland Golf Club.
Archer responded by saying he has demonstrated his integrity through his investments in other community projects and organizations such as United Way, Associated Charities and Ashland High School. Archer provided the naming gift for the high school’s Archer Auditorium.
Ashland resident and Ashland County commissioner Denny Bittle said the issue should not be characterized as a matter of whether the golf course should remain open or close. Rather, he said, it’s about whether tax dollars should fund it or whether it can and should be self-sustaining.
Ken Eckenroth questioned whether the golf course could be closed legally, considering the second nine holes was funded through a federal grant.
Assistant law director Andrew Bush said he looked into the matter and believes the city could legally choose to use the course for another public use. If the city would opt to sell the course or to close it without using the facility for public use, Bush said, it would have to create another recreational facility comparable to what the grant funded.
Going forward, Workman said, council will continue to take a hard look at the golf course and “will be considering some conversion options.”
“No one would consider managing their household finances or personal business in this way,” he said. “But because it’s government, somehow that’s okay. However, it’s not okay. It’s financially irresponsible to consider spending such a large amount of taxpayer money for the special interests of a few.”
