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Oak Hills reports improved finances, new tennis vendor and ongoing capital needs
Summary
Oak Hills Authority told Norwalk’s BET that November results and year‑to‑date operations are ahead of budget, named a local vendor for a five‑year tennis contract (projected to raise revenue) and said a golf‑pro hire decision is expected within two weeks; board requested historical debt and repayment detail.
Alan, the Oak Hills representative, updated the Board of Estimate and Taxation on Jan. 12 about Oak Hills’ recent operations, contracts and capital needs.
For November, Oak Hills’ revenue slightly exceeded budget ($111,000 actual vs. $107,000 budget) while expenses were below budget ($134,000 actual vs. $163,000 budget), reducing the month’s expected loss to $23,000 instead of the $57,000 originally budgeted. Year‑to‑date Alan said Oak Hills is roughly $204,000 ahead of budget.
Alan said the authority set rates for 2026 with no increases for Norwalk residents and modest increases for nonresidents; he noted the course had invested in new equipment, including a cart replacement costing about $545,000. On programming and vendor contracts, Oak Hills negotiated a new five‑year tennis contract with a local operator called Serves You Right: the new agreement has a $230,000 base over five years plus a 5% gross‑revenue share, which Alan said could raise the five‑year total to about $303,000.
On staffing, Alan said Oak Hills is interviewing seven candidates for the open golf‑pro position and expected to narrow finalists after the second round of interviews, noting, “we should be in a position to make a decision within 2 weeks.” Board members asked for a follow‑up report showing vendor revenue sharing and the vendor’s expected margins so the board could evaluate whether bringing services in‑house would make sense; Alan agreed to provide those figures at the next update.
Board members also pressed for historical context on Oak Hills’ relationship with the city and its outstanding liabilities. Alan said the outstanding liability is around $1,500,000, down from a prior figure near $2,200,000, and described the repayment arrangement as a per‑round payment plus a percentage of revenue; he and staff agreed to work with city finance to provide a clear history of amounts borrowed, repayments, any forgiveness and the authority’s current budget for capital projects.
The board thanked Alan and requested the audited financial statements and a concise repayment history for the next quarterly update so members can assess whether any policy changes are warranted. Oak Hills emphasized ongoing capital needs despite improved near‑term operating performance.
Next steps: Oak Hills will provide vendor revenue/share details, candidate follow‑up on the golf pro search and a historical debt and repayment schedule to the BET for the next quarterly meeting.
