March 19, 2024

Future of Westwood Golf Course discussed by council

Whether or not to keep Westwood Golf Course became a major discussion point at Newton’s City Council budget meeting Monday. After discussing the pros and cons, the council decided to move forward with the items for the golf course in the budget, but may reallocate what its intended use is.

“I think before we spend money on any of them — are we going to have a golf course or not?” Jeff Price, council member said. “Because obviously they are on here because they are necessities of it, I think it is pretty much all or nothing.”

City Administrator Bob Knabel agreed, saying it is a great amenity, but asked what the city council wants to do with it.

The council agreed to keep the budget items — an inter-seeder for $6,000, Aerifier for $16,000, a sand trap rake for $18,000, a mower for $15,000, three work carts for $10,000, golf cart paths for $30,000 and the largest item, a new irrigation system, for $510,000 on the budget for a bond issue. However, the council intends to get more feedback from the community to see if residents even want a golf course.

“I would love to hear if any of the folks on the council are hearing from constituents about the golf course because I hear very little,” Noreen Otto, council member said. “I don’t know if the community is to a point where it doesn’t want a golf course.”

Additional items from the Community Improvement Plan, which is paid through a bond issue, that were discussed included a new fire engine costing $550,000, fire tanker at $200,000, fire marshal truck at $40,000 and police vehicles at $63,000. The council wanted further explanation about spending the large amount of money on a fire engine

“The fire engines that we currently have been purchased through the 90s, early 2000s and the oldest engine is a 1991. We typically in the fire service say a 20-year life for an engine is a good life,” Fire Chief Jarrod Wellik said.

Wellik said the department currently does not have any engines in reserve and they are having trouble getting parts, such as lights, for the engines it does have.

“What we are trying to do with this plan, we are taking and consolidating two engines. For this $550,000, we’re taking our main line pumper and our rescue engine and combining them together and turning it into a true rescue engine,” Wellik said.

The council brought up a program where fire departments work together using a neighboring town’s fire tanker. Wellik said they do that, but were recently at a fire and had to wait 15 minutes for the tanker to reach them and had run out of water after seven minutes.

The council questioned the fire marshal truck and Wellik said that the current vehicle in use is a 1996 Suburban that is having some lighting problems as well as a floor board that is getting very thin. The replacement vehicle would be a 3/4 ton pick-up that would serve as a mobile office for the fire marshal.

“Something that we can put all of the fire marshal investigation type things in there. He will also have his inspection materials and those types of things in there. We can also use it then to haul dirty hoses and use it as a utility vehicle,” Wellik said.

The council decided to take the police vehicles out of the bond issue area of the budget because it is very likely the bond would outlast the vehicles because of the intense use required.

Knabel gave bond issue policy recommendations including bonds to be issued every two years for major street repair, construction, equipment and projects — bonds would be eight to 10 years in duration. Also, the bonds shall not exceed life expectancy of equipment or project it is paying for and payments would be end-loaded and structured to reduce front-end cost and to provide future flexibility and minimize compounding bond issues. The Debt Service Levy, which pays for the bond, will be targeted to range between $2.25 and $2.50. The current levy in place is in the area of $2, according to Knabel. Changes with items that could need bonding makes the future amount required for the levy currently unknown. The last bond issue was done during 2014 as a part of the housing initiative.

The biggest operational costs concern was tort liability insurance because of an increase in cost because of a safety problem. Slips and falls, torn shoulders and falling on ice became big safety problems the safety committee is beginning to address, beginning with the Work Systems program.

The council also decided to give contributions to outside agencies at half of the additional requested amount. That means, for example, the YMCA, which had $16,000 in the budget and requested $20,000 will receive $18,000.

A budget snapshot shows general government funds at $8,528,864, special revenue funds at $7,987,614, TIF special revenue $2,587,594, debt service funds at $2,656,817, property funds at $5,431,775 and the capital project funds at $6,810,800 totaling $34,003,464 — $44,217,989 more than the 2014-2015 budget. Broken down by category, the budget puts $11,620,477 toward personnel, $7,275,937 for operations, $8,582,100 to capital, $3,006,375 and $3,518,575 to transfers. All budget decisions were only discussed and still have to be approved by the council to move forward.

Contact Jamee A. Pierson at 641-792-3121 ext. 6534 or jpierson@newtondailynews.com