07-18-08 Redevelopment Commission Minutes

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South Bend Redevelopment Commission Regular Meeting -July 18, 2008 4. COMMUNICATIONS (CONT.) Golf Course Owners Assn communication: As a member of the Redevelopment Commission you have the responsibility of overseeing Blackthorn Golf Club. It is a fact that since Blackthorn Golf Club opened in 1994 it has been a financial drain on the city's budget, specifically a drain of over four million dollars. These are funds that could have been used to either reduce property taxes or to have provided essential services to 100% of the taxpayers. Golf's participation rate is at the best 10%, so to ask every taxpayer to subsidize the recreation of those that golf is completely unreasonable and not the role of government. It has come to our attention that the city of South Bend and the Redevelopment Commission are considering additional food and beverage space to the clubhouse in the very near future well as potentially a larger scale banquet facility. It is a well known fact that large food operations at golf facilities more often than not add negatively to the bottom line. To continue to add additional debt to a facility that is already a financial drain on the cities budget would be improper allocation of taxpayer dollars. With the passage of HEA 1001 the city more than ever needs to be fiscally responsible. It is my understanding that the golf course was built to entice businesses to locate in the Blackthorn Corporate Complex. However, does the city need to own the facility? Golf Courses are bought and sold everyday and it only makes good business sense to sell the facility. This would be beneficial to the city's budget in three ways, first and most simply, there would be revenue from the sale, secondly the financial bleeding would stop and finally, private ownership would be a revenue base by paying property taxes. As an Officer of the National Golf Courses Owners Association as well as our the Indiana Chapter, I 6