November 22, 2011 - Special Council Meeting

A special meeting was called by the council specifically to discuss the golf course operations and to get a better understanding of the details on some of the golf course financials. Konrad (City Manager) provided a partial history of the golf course and spent a considerable amount of time going through the most recent Statement of Cash Flows to provide specific information on how money is coming in and going out of the golf fund. There is frustration that money has been used from other funds to cover golf course losses and there hasn't been adequate communication on how this was occurring. At the end of the meeting it was evident that the city needs to provide the following:

• Better explanations on the finance terminology being used so that those who don't have accounting backgrounds can still understand the golf finances;
• A simpler format to share information with residents so that it is clear how the golf course is doing;
• A brief history of the golf course that provides insight into how we got to where we are now;
• Explanations as to what the golf course offers to residents other than an opportunity to golf, specifically the PI system and storm retention.

One statement was made that really sums it up - not only do we need more transparency but we need to provide understandable information. While the city has provided all audited financials for residents to view it is very difficult to make any sense of it all unless you have a background in finance. We need to do a better job of breaking it down so that the finance team, the mayor and council, and city residents are all on the same page.

I have met with Konrad on a few separate occasions and he has given me a detailed explanation of the history of the golf course, which I think is helpful in understanding how we ended up with it, what has happened over the years, what options we've tried and what has and hasn't worked. I am working on putting together a summary of the history that I will post on this blog so that any resident who is interested can gain a better understanding of what has happened over the years.

The council will continue to meet on this issue and the mayor has already stated that a special committee will be formed to address many of the concerns that have been raised over the past few months.

You can listen to the audio of this meeting at http://www.cedarhills.org/.

Have questions or further discussion? Please join us on our online forum at http://www.aboutcedarhills.org/.