Pryor council approves purchase and lease financing for 60 golf carts after debate over noise and cost

The Pryor City Council voted to buy 60 golf carts and three utility carts for the Pryor Creek Golf Course and approved a 48-month lease-purchase with Bank of Commerce after a divided discussion about model, noise and cost. Council members debated a higher-priced Yamaha QuietTek bid, but the motion on the floor was amended to accept Club Car units and the financing from Bank of Commerce at 3.98 percent.

Council members and golf-course staff clashed over the roughly $70,000 difference between the Yamaha QuietTek bid and the lower-priced Club Car offer. Dennis, the golf-course manager, told the council Yamaha's QuietTek produces a noticeable noise reduction and said Yamaha showed about 25 percent better fuel efficiency in tests, which he estimated could yield $28,000–$30,000 in savings over five years. Opponents questioned whether the quieting and fuel savings justified the higher upfront cost and suggested alternatives such as electric carts.

The park board had tested both models and recommended the Yamaha QuietTek; several park-board members cited quieter operation during tournaments and the benefit of a GPS system to manage pace of play and geofencing. Council members pressed staff on why full bid specs were not in the packet and whether the park-board vote represented a majority of that board. Staff said trade-in credits for the city's existing 50 carts were included and that both firms reported the same trade-in allowance.

The council approved the purchase after a motion to switch to Club Car units was made on the floor. Delivery was estimated to be less than three weeks after a purchase order is issued. The council separately approved a lease-purchase for the carts with Bank of Commerce at 3.98 percent; one councilor abstained on the financing vote.

The city also discussed optional GPS installation, which staff said could be added regardless of the vendor and would improve cart control, pace of play and customer service. Councilors asked staff to provide full bid packets and account numbers for the purchase in the official record and to return with a more detailed cost-comparison that includes trade-in credits, estimated fuel savings and any projected resale value differences.

The council's action: approve purchase of 60 golf carts and three utility carts; authorize lease financing with Bank of Commerce at 3.98 percent (motion passed; one abstention recorded on the financing vote).