Kingman City golf commission approves rack-rate increase to forward to council, pauses pass and trail-fee hikes

The Kingman City Golf Commission on Feb. 11 voted to forward a proposed 2026 rack-rate increase to City Council while pausing changes to annual passes and personal trail fees so commissioners can study phased, smaller increases.

Chair David Dale introduced the motion to approve the rack-rate adjustment as proposed at a recent special session, with the caveat that pass and trail fees not be increased immediately and that staff return with workshop options and income-based analyses. "We're giving you the rack-rate increase; let's not slam our steady customers with the rest of it," Dale said during debate.

Golf pro Mike Matheson explained the staff recommendation behind the daily rates: a three-tier option with $60, $65 and $70 scenarios that, with resident, senior and veteran discounts, was designed to approximate a 10% increase overall from current rates. Matheson told the commission the weekday/weekend split (proposed $65 weekday and $70 weekend/holiday for nonresidents) reflects higher weekend demand and local market practice.

Commissioners sharply debated impacts on annual pass holders, many of whom are older and on fixed incomes. Commissioner David (speaker 1) argued the pass-holders were already bearing increases approved last year and urged a slower, incremental approach: "Let's put the brakes on the pass increase for this year," he said, citing local median incomes and the commission's desire to avoid sudden burdens on seniors. Other commissioners warned that exempting pass-holders from increases would slow the golf course's path to revenue neutrality.

After additional discussion, the motion — to approve forwarding the rack-rate proposal while leaving annual pass and trail fees for later, smaller increases and workshops — passed. Commissioners said the vote does not end the conversation; they requested workshops that would include historical usage data, cost-of-living timing, and potential mitigation options such as volunteer-offset programs for lower-income pass-holders.

What's next: The commission will send the recommended rack-rate change to City Council for its consideration and schedule workshops to refine how and when pass and trail fees might increase. The commission emphasized it will revisit implementation timing, considering cost-of-living schedules and renewal cycles.

Vote and implementation notes: The commission announced the motion passed during the meeting; commissioners requested staff prepare breakdowns of affected pass-holder counts and revenue models for the upcoming workshop meetings.