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Council sends golf course fees back to start
What appeared to be a short agenda for the Nevada City Council to consider during its Tuesday night meeting, took on a life of its own when Richard Perkins, as well as council members Brian Leonard, Blake Hertzberg and Ryan Watts opened a discussion of the impact the proposed fee increases on the users of the golf course and the swimming pool.
In the end the discussion led the council to vote 3-2 to defeat the fee increase at the golf course, with Brian Leonard, Blake Hertzberg, and Ryan Watts voting no, and Jayne Novak and Lance Christie voting yes, and to amend the fees for the Walton Family Aquatic Center to reflect a 2 percent increase across the board.
While the city had proposed an average 2 percent increase on all the park fees, there were a few exceptions at the swimming pool and the golf course.
Perkins, who is a member of the city's park board, told the council that the proposed increased at the golf course would not impact him since he has a season pass and the proposed $38 increase in the pass, would only come to an increase of about 38 cents per day, since he plays about 100 times a year.
He said he was concerned about the future, and what impact the increases would have on golfers under 21, military personnel and golfers who come to Nevada from somewhere else to play.
Brian Leonard said that he had several phone calls over Christmas about the increases.
He said there are three golf leagues currently at the Frank E. Peters Municipal Golf Course. Two are long-standing leagues and the third league is attempting to get going. All of these leagues play nine-hole games.
"We are hampering the formations of these leagues. Most leagues start at 5 p.m. The lack of a nine-hole cart fee discourages league membership," Leonard said.
"We are one of the highest around when it comes to green fees," he said.
"You don't want to raise the fees -- I won't vote for $700,000 in improvements this year at the golf course," council member Jayne Novak said.
The city is planning to replace the irrigation system at the golf course this year.
With the defeat of the fee increase at the golf course, the city will now go back and work on the fee schedule before it goes back to the council for consideration.
In other business the council:
* Voted 5-0, to adopt Resolution No. 1477 approving an agreement to transfer airport entitlement funds to allow Missouri Department of Transportation to make these funds available for another airport project. The city receives about $150,000 in grants for improvements at the Nevada Municipal Airport that must be used within three years. The city will not be able to use the money before the Sept. 30 deadline.
* Voted 5-0, to pass on second reading a special ordinance approving a 2 percent average fee increase for the use of the parks and recreation shelter houses, Colonel John Marmaduke Community Building and the Twin Lakes Sports Complex ball fields.
* Voted 5-0, to give final approval to an average 2 percent increase in the fees for the use of the Franklin P. Norman City County Community Center.