Fort Walton Beach Council minutes — 08-28-1990 Budget Workshop — reading text

in looking at the fee schedule provided there were only four items they should pay attention to. green fees for course 1 and 2. user fees and carts.  193 Budget Workshop 8- 28- 90 90/ 91 BUDGET ( CONT.) Mr. deVaux stated he could support the increase to $. 93 but not $ 2. 00. Mr. Rosenbaum suggested they raised the user fee to $. 93 and leave the resident discount fees the same. He asked the Finance Director if the surcharge was broken out in the budget. Mr. Evans stated yes. Mr. Rosenbaum stated he was opposed to raising any resident fees at this time. Mr. Wyatt I stated that is who uses it. Mr. deVaux asked if the resident and non- resident user fees could be broken out for them to review. Mr. Keeler stated we could provide the information. Mr. Mikel suggested they take the information, study it and direct staff as to what you want and we will do it. Mr. Wyatt stated when the schedule was established last week we have two more meetings and they needed to take the information provided and make a decision without more research. Mr. deVaux stated they either needed to raise revenue or cut expenditures or both toexpenditures. meet the Mr. Wyatt stated the goal was to recognize the expenditures that we are going to realize in the next couple of years, prepare for a means to pay for them and we do that by recognizing the revenue areas we have and we only have 4 areas. This is the first one and does not require a great deal of brain power to recognize it can make more money without spending anymore. Some of the other things we are going to talk about require us to make judgement about whether we spend money to make money. Expenditures are going to keep going up with the mandated expenses leaving us no choice. Mr. Maney suggested they do some type of survey to see how much the golfers would be willing to pay extra without reducing the use of the course and then address the issue about how much we would get by putting the increase on non- residents. An unidentified citizens stated he did not feel a study would give a true picture. He had read the article in the paper regarding the fees and he knew the golf course had been paying over the years for a lot of city proj ects and still is. He stated if they had put the additional 9 holes in six years ago there might not be a need to discuss raising fees as the extra revenue would be there. He was opposed to not the hike if it was needed but he questioned a hike for the purpose of additional I revenue. Mr. Wyatt stated things mandated in the Comprehensive Plan charged Council to find ways to pay for the expenses and if we increase taxes a mill or two we accomplish the thing or make the golfers pay $ 3. 00 same a round. The gentleman st ated to increase the gr een fees was like Bush saying " read my lips. no new taxes". Mr. Wyatt stated he was not in the position to say no new taxes but the point was if we increase the millage and if the cap remains we cannot get there from here. 194 8- 28- 90 Budget Workshop 90/ 91 BUDGET ( CONT.) An unidentified woman stated she did not play golf but knew softball and knew they charged $ 10 for city residents and $ 30 non- residents and wanted to know if there was that much difference at the golf course between non- residents and residents fees. The Mayor stated it was probably the same or close. An unidentified citizens inquired if occupation license were being considered. The Mayor stated no. the reason being they wanted to keep those equitable with the county and in that sense, why not keep the golf courses equitable with others in the county. A citizen in the audience stated he had checked with the golf courses in the exception of two and area with the of the ones he checked one charged $ 40 green fee; one higher than that and the rest were under $ 40, they are private golf courses and they can do what they want. If there is a need for the increase he was not against it but did not think the general figures were right. Mr. Wyatt stated those were the same figures he quoted last week. A citizens in the audience golf course had stated the always been looked gathering source. at as a revenue The amount of money generated by the golf course year after year has always sustained itself plus $ 500. 000 extra a year the city takes from the golf course for their own usages. why should the golfer suffer, we have a popular course we have a money making course. If you leave the money to the golf course it can take care of itself and it will be a self sustaining entity but it is being robbed by other projects but we are asked as golfers to pay for other projects as well so other people won' t have to pay as much. Taxes should be more across the board. Mr. Wyatt stated this was a city not just a golf course community. The Finance Director stated the golf course was paid for by Utility Tax Bonds and the course