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Commission seeks clearer accounting of Crestwood golf-course funds and dedicated surcharge
Summary
Commission members pressed staff for audited figures and asked the director to clarify whether a $4 improvement surcharge is held in a separate special 'improvement fee' account and how bargaining-unit employee costs are charged to the golf enterprise fund before the item is presented to the town council.
The Watertown Park and Recreation Commission and its Crestwood Park subcommittee spent the bulk of the meeting pressing for clearer accounting of the town's golf-course finances and for a plan to present to the town council.
Director (S7) introduced a draft memo proposing to codify an enterprise account and the existing $4 course-improvement surcharge in a way that would make the fees available for repairs and course improvements. He told the group that the improvement fee currently exists as a special account separate from the regular budget but that the town council must release those funds before they can be spent.
Commission members asked for audited, line-item numbers and for a precise total of surcharge receipts. "We have to know what that number is," said Committee member (S2), urging staff to confirm the rounds played and exact receipts so the commission could make an accurate case to the council. The director responded that some figures come from separate systems (green-fees software vs. registration software) and that recent audits are still unverified.
Members also debated how employee salaries and benefits for three staff who work on golf operations have been charged. Several commissioners said those positions were returned to the golf fund in recent years and that charging bargaining-unit employees to the enterprise fund increases the golf course's reported expenses. "If we're asking the golfers to pay for the entire park, that's not sustainable," a member said, urging the commission to examine whether some positions should be funded by the general fund instead.
Discussion included examples of privatization and its risks, but commissioners emphasized they were focused on ensuring transparency and accurate accounting. One member volunteered to compile talking points and suggested the group present a short, evidence-based packet to the town council showing that a substantial portion of park costs are not generated by the golf course.
Next steps: staff were asked to provide (a) the exact amount collected by the surcharge, (b) the audited fiscal-year closing numbers, and (c) a recommended presentation format for the town council showing how golf revenues and park expenses are separated. The subcommittee agreed to review the director's draft memo, refine line items and return with a motion-ready recommendation at a later meeting.
