The North Platte, Neb. city council voted to pursue that option—but citizens are concerned it could lead to higher rates at Iron Eagle Golf Course.
The mayor of North Platte, Neb., Marc Kaschke, is now free to consider proposals from outside management companies for operation of Iron Eagle Golf Course after a 5-3 city council vote in his favor, reports the North Platte Telegraph.
The result prompted several comments from concerned citizens, the paper says. North Platte citizen Jim Backenstose said the city was beating a dead horse, and asked why the mayor was revisiting a proposal turned down last March.
The mayor said he decided to pursue the proposal again after seeing this past year’s budget numbers. “It’s important to look at any and all options on how to best run that entity,” Kaschke said.
Backenstose said he would be disappointed if the city brought in an outside management company, and believed the city needed to solve the financial problem in-house.
“I see [an outside management company] raising rates,” Backenstose said. “I see them raising product inventory prices. I see them hiring their own staff and letting this place fall apart.” He added that he thought an outside management group might walk away after the two- or three-year contract was up, leaving the city in an even deeper hole.
Richard Heessell, another North Platte resident, said the city needs to look at all of its departments that lose money each year, not just Iron Eagle Golf Course. “Every time this comes up, I hear, ‘it’s losing money,’ ” Heessell said. “The golf course lost $178,000. The Rec Center and Cody Pool lost $702,000, and the issue we’re after every year is the golf course. Maybe we should look at both of these.”
The council requested that the final request-for-proposal form be brought back for approval before being mailed out. City Administrator Jim Hawks said he would provide a copy at the next meeting.
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