EVERETT- The City Council voted Wednesday to slice golf fees up to 33 percent to tempt more golfers to play, but first teed off on the company that operates the two municipal courses.
Mayor Ray Stephanson said he is renegotiating the city contract with Billy Casper Golf Management, which officials said has not responded to requests for information about operations.
“We need a new contract, and that is what we’re currently pursuing,” Stephanson said.
The city’s two courses – Legion and Walter E. Hall – had a combined total of 104,000 rounds last year, compared with 112,000 in 2003. The figures showed a 6 percent drop at Legion in north Everett and an 11 percent drop at Walter E. Hall to the south.
City officials voted to eliminate the resident discount for city golf courses last year at the suggestion of the management company.
In a turnaround, a golf consultant hired in January for $30,000 suggested fees instead be reduced by as much as 33 percent.
The City Council voted 3-1 Wednesday to follow that advice and implement cheaper fees for the summer.
The effect, they hope, is more golfers and better loyalty to Everett’s golf courses.
The fees will go into effect no later than July 1, once computer and rate card changes are made.
City Councilman Mark Olson voted against the fee cut in part because it makes annual passes less valuable. He has a $1,300 pass that allows him to play five days a week from April through September and seven days a week during colder months.
An estimated 85 percent of the golfers at Walter Hall and Legion are from outside the city.
“It’s no longer an amenity benefiting the residents of Everett,” he said.
As a result, Olson raised the idea of forming an independent golf course authority similar to the public facilities district that operates the Everett Events Center.
The city hired Billy Casper Golf in April 2003, signing a contract through 2008.
“The contract is very favorable to the contractor and the ability of the city to take corrective action is very limited,” Stephanson said. “It’s been difficult to get information and there are no consequences in the contract.”
The company operates 56 courses in 19 states from its headquarters in Vienna, Va.
“We continue to do a solid job, we’re a very responsible organization, and we’re working closely with the city,” said Rich Katz, vice-president of Billy Casper Golf.
In 2004, the two city golf courses were $400,000 in the red partly because of outstanding debt on $8 million in renovations at Legion. The courses brought in $3.1 million but cost $3.5 million for operations and debt.
The $400,000 gap was filled by a loan between city funds and is likely to be required again this year, officials said.
A full report from the city’s golf consultant is forthcoming.
Reporter Jeff Switzer: 425-339-3452 or jswitzer@heraldnet.com.
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