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Fergus Falls resident asks council to explain proposed $1 transfer of municipal golf course
Summary
At the July 15 Fergus Falls City Council meeting, resident Cecily Cookman pressed the council for details about a 2017 $330,000 write-off and how selling the municipal golf course for $1 and pursuing a $3–4 million project would affect city assets and potential conflicts of interest; city staff promised a packet of answers at the next meeting.
Fergus Falls — At the city council’s July 15 meeting, resident Cecily Cookman urged elected officials to explain financial and conflict-of-interest questions tied to a proposed transfer of the municipal golf course.
Cookman said she was concerned that a $330,000 loan or line of credit written off in 2017 could reappear as a liability and that selling the golf course for a nominal $1 while pursuing a $3 million to $4 million project would reduce the city’s assets. “It seems a bit odd that we would be giving this away for a dollar,” she said, and asked how the sale would affect the city’s bonding and loan capabilities.
Mayor Benjamin Shire acknowledged the questions and asked City Administrator Andrew Bremseth to compile answers. Bremseth told the council the administration would prepare a single package of responses and present it at the next council meeting.
Cookman also asked whether council members or staff who play golf could have conflicts of interest if they participate in negotiating or approving the contract. The mayor and administrator said the concerns were important and that the staff report would address the city’s position on conflicts and recuse rules.
The exchange occurred during the meeting’s open forum, where other residents raised separate concerns about meeting minutes and recent council appointments. The council did not act on the golf-course item at the July 15 meeting; officials said formal proposals and full financial disclosures would be provided to the public before further council action.
