The Bryan city council has been told to expect a financial turnaround of municipal golf operations of a half million dollars.
That’s according to financial information presented to the city council as part of a staff recommendation to hire the former owner of the Briarcrest golf couse to manage what Wallace Phillips donated to the city two months ago.
City staff is expecting a loss during the last year at the former municipal course of $250,000, while staff and Phillips are projecting a net operating profit this year of $257,000.
That does not count the city paying Phillips an annual management fee of $100,000 dollars and the city buying power tools and vehicles owned by Phillips for $232,000.
The profit forecast does take into account the city paying Phillips half the cost of a general manager and controller, which for this year is $63,000.
Click HERE to read and download the golf course management contract.
The only council discussion during Tuesday afternoon’s workshop was questions asked councilman Mike Southerland and answered by deputy manager Hugh Walker and city manager Kean Register.
The council voted 5-1 to approve the management contract. Southerland voted no and Prentiss Madison was not present.
The management contract is in addition to prior council votes to buy one of the Briarcrest driving ranges from Phillips and paying him to lease building space for a senior center.
In a related item, the council approved spending $85,000 dollars to buy out a contract for electric golf carts that were not moved to the new course.
Click HERE to read and download the golf course buyout invoice.
And the council also adopted a planning and zoning commission recommendation to hire a consultant to create a land use plan for property surrounding the former municipal course…which is being turned into a superpark.
Click HERE to read and download background information about the land use consultant.
No funding sources have been identified for buying Phillips’s golf course equipment or the consultant requested by P&Z.