Argus Observer
Ontario — The Ontario Municipal Golf Course will require $221,500 to operate through next fiscal year, up from $125,000 in 2013, according to manager Scott McKinney.
McKinney was previously asked by the Ontario City Council to provide a budget and priorities for the course's future. According to his presentation at Thursday's city council meeting, adding acid to the irrigation system, repairing communications and obtaining equipment are the top three priorities.
“In the last year, we've solved a lot of issues,” McKinney said. “I've gained a real understanding of what was going on. I've pored through ten years of general revenue income and expense statements from the city, so I got a picture of what was happening at both ends of it.”
McKinney also addressed the golf course's troubled past.
“I gained the trust of the membership,” he said. “The nest step is I need to gain the city’s trust. You’ve been throwing a lot of money every year at the golf course, and it's been spent and the result are poor. The money needs to be spent properly. This year on a tight income, I believe a consensus with the membership is we did a very good job.”
Councilor Norm Crume expressed his concern that even more money will be needed down the line.
“You came to us asking for $125,000 and it was so low we had to give it to you,” Crume said. “It was too good to be true.” McKinney argued that his budget is still considerably lower than the average yearly budget for 18-hole golf courses in this area, which typically require at least $300,000 to operate. “If you guys are going to not fund it, there’s a whole lot of wasted money,” McKinney said. “There’s no kicking the can down the road. If you don’t act, you won’t have a golf course.”
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