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Parks board approves 3% credit-card surcharge and green-lights RFP for golf simulators
Summary
The Logansport Parks and Recreation Board voted to permit a 3% surcharge on credit-card payments at the Dykeman municipal course and authorized an RFP/loan process to buy and install golf simulators and related clubhouse equipment; staff said the changes aim to reduce rising card-processing fees and create new revenue.
The Logansport Parks and Recreation Board on a voice vote approved a two-part measure affecting the municipal golf operation: a resolution allowing a 3% surcharge on credit-card payments for operational fees at the Dykeman facility, and authorization to issue a request for proposals (RFP) to arrange a loan to purchase and install golf simulators and associated clubhouse equipment.
Kyle, golf operations staff, told the board the surcharge applies only to credit-card transactions, not debit cards, cash or checks; the point-of-sale software will detect card type automatically. Staff said the department processed about $407,337 in credit-card transactions in 2024 and paid roughly $11,496 in processing fees. With a 3% surcharge, staff estimated the parks department’s processing fee bill would fall to about $1,200 if the surcharge had been in place for 2024; the processing company retains a portion of the surcharge and applies the remainder to the parks’ processor bill, staff said.
On the simulators, board members authorized staff to issue an RFP to identify loan options to purchase TrackMan-style launch monitors, simulators, networking and audiovisual equipment and some clubhouse furnishings. Staff estimated the full installation could range from roughly $110,000 for vendor-installed TrackMan equipment to about $167,000 if turnkey installation and additional furnishings are required; the board characterized the RFP as a first step. Kyle said there is an ongoing annual subscription/maintenance cost for simulators, roughly $1,000–$1,200 per year, and that physical wear items such as screens would be repair/replaced periodically (staff estimated screens might last about five to six years and hitting strips could last hundreds of thousands of swings).
Supporters said the surcharge is not a general fee increase but a means to shift processing costs to card users and that simulators should generate new revenue through bay rentals and increased food and beverage sales. Board members asked staff to return with RFP responses and loan terms before committing the parks enterprise to financing; staff said the RFP process will come back to the parks board and then to the city council if financing is recommended.
The board approved the credit-card surcharge as “Parks Board Resolution 2025-02” and approved issuing the RFP to pursue a loan to purchase and install simulators at the Dykeman facility.
