Letter: City should maintain golf courses

Should city golf courses be expected to break even or make money? They are running at about a 5 percent deficit and this includes paying for the repairs to Jones due to flooding. In comparison, the city pools run about an 80 percent deficit. I see nothing wrong with running a small deficit. Just like the parks and the swimming pools, they all cost money to operate. The city golf courses represent our city and should be maintained.

I do not have a problem with the decision to close Jones. Its present configuration is not workable. A better idea would be to reconfigure it by moving the flood-prone holes up the hill toward the pavilion. I do have a problem with increasing the season passes by 8 percent at the same time taking away 25 percent of the benefits. The golf department should not have to repay 10 years of losses. Write that debt off as it is gone. If you have to, close Jones, but don't raise rates as that drives golfers away.

If the city needs to save money, here are a few ideas:

Put in a well at Twin Pines and you would recover the costs in 3 to 5 years.

Contract out the IT work for the city courses.

Wayne Erger

Cedar Rapids