GOLF COURSE ADVISORY BOARD RECOMMENDS GOLF-COURSE FEE HIKES

As part of a citywide effort to make user fees commensurate with costs of city services and programs, the Cape Girardeau Golf Course Advisory Board Wednesday recommended an increase in golf fees.

All of the board members present at Wednesday's meeting said they had made a point of asking golfers at the Jaycee Municipal Golf Course if the fee hike was acceptable.

"I thought about this a lot, trying to equate the fee increase with fairness, and I've talked with a lot of people about an increase," said board member Thomas M. Meyer.

"Everyone I've talked with, they just shrug and say it's no big deal. They feel like the way things are going at the course, it's a minimal charge. I've haven't heard anything negative."

The proposed fee increases are expected based on last year's attendance to increase revenue at the course nearly $28,000. Golf fees haven't increased in five years.

The proposal, which must be approved by the city council, would increase fees:

$1 for daily and weekend greens fee to $7 and $9, respectively.

$1 for nine and 18-hole cart rental to $9 and $15, respectively.

10 percent for annual individual senior citizen membership pass to $165.

10 percent for annual senior citizen family membership pass to $275.

10 percent for individual pass to $275.

10 percent for family pass to $385.

The new greens fees are expected to increase revenue nearly $18,000, from $118,900 last year to about $137,700. Revenue from golf cart rentals is expected to increase about $6,000, from $85,640 to about $91,800. And revenue from the annual passes is projected to increase about $3,000 from $30,250 to about $33,275.

Assistant City Manager Al Stoverink said the fee increases were proposed after the city compared course fees at 14 golf courses around the state. "Our fees are on the low end of those," he said.

Stoverink said the fee proposal is part of a citywide effort to study user fees and determine if they are sufficient to compensate for costs associated with city services and programs.

Meyer said recent improvements at the course have increased play significantly, and the course now is operating essentially at "break-even."

"Anything above that is going back into the course and is something the players out there will see and will benefit from," he said.

Board member Ron Carlton said that the improvements at the course should make the fee increase an easy sell to golfers.

Board member Mike Hopen said that the addition this week of a course manager also helps to placate the golfers.

Chairman Tom Heath said: "They can see the improvements we've made, and we're continuing to make improvements. I think everyone's pretty agreeable to a minimal increase."

In December 1990, the board recommended a fee increase that ultimately was deemed excessive and rejected by the city council.

The primary contention in that proposal was an increase for annual senior citizen individual pass fees from $150 to $270. That increase was later dropped to $235, then $200 before the council rejected any increase.

Also under the initial 1990 proposal, the annual senior family pass fees would have increased from $250 to $360. The fee also was amended to $330 and, finally, $300 before it was rejected by the council.

Parks and Recreation Director Dan Muser said the current fee proposal is much more reasonable than the 1990 plan, and is fairer with the 10 percent "across-the-board" pass hike.

"What I've heard from people who play here is that it's very, very reasonable compared to other places they've played," Muser said.