![FiscalCourtlogo]()
The Ohio County Fiscal Court approved the first lifetime membership of the Ohio County Community Golf Course, but not without some spirited discussion.
During the July 8 meeting of the fiscal court, Second District Magistrate, and head of the Golf Course Committee, Jason Bullock brought a proposal before the court that would see the Ohio Community Golf Course sell lifetime memberships to raise money to pay for the reseeding of the greens. The memberships would be $10,000 per family or $5,000 per single or senior citizen.
Each membership would be prorated over five years in the event of the death of the member and prorated over 10 years in the event the golf course closes. If the golf course stays open for the 10 years and the member lives the five years of the contract, the county will owe no money to the lifetime member for any reason.
The golf course was hoping to collect at least $25,000 through the lifetime memberships. At the July 8 meeting, Ohio County Judge-Executive David Johnston said the amount raised by the memberships would be capped at $40,000.
Bullock had a commitment for one family membership and believed there would be several single memberships. He presented, for the court’s approval, a contract drawn up by the Golf Course Committee.
During the discussion of the contract, First District Magistrate Michael McKenney and Third District Magistrate Brandon Thomas thought the court should wait on approving the contract until several issues could be addressed, primarily involving the family membership.
After discussion, the court approved the contract by a 4-2 vote with Thomas and McKenney voting no. County attorney Greg Hill and the Golf Course Committee were to review the contract and address any issues before presenting it to prospective lifetime members.
During the July 22 meeting, Bullock presented the court with a lifetime family membership at the Ohio County Golf Course. The contract approved at the last meeting was fine for a single or senior citizen membership, but it did not include details for a family membership. Bullock had Hill to draw up a family lifetime membership contract. At this time, there is only one family applying for the membership.
Thomas, after reading over the contract, asked if any of the money collected from the lifetime memberships would be “escrowed,” if money had to be paid back due to death of a member or closure of the golf course.
“Where will that repayment be coming from in the (event of a) death or whatever reason?” Thomas asked. “We have all of these reimbursement possibilities. Will this money be escrowed to that effect?”
“No, because why we’re doing it is, to get the money to pay for certain things to be paid for from it. So, no, it won’t be (escrowed)” Johnston told Thomas.
“Perhaps a person passes away, are we going to be budgeting (potential reimbursement money) in future budgets to be paid back?” Thomas asked.
“That would be handled as an emergency situation at that time," Johnston said. "It’s not something that we actually need to address at this time.”
Bullock weighed in to say he thought the potential reimbursement money would be budgeted every year.
“It’s not something that would need to be (handled) in an emergency situation. It would need to be budgeted,” McKenney said.
During the discussion, Hill was fashioning a motion for Bullock. When he finished, Bullock made a motion the court approve a contract between the county and Jerry Mayes for the purchase of a lifetime membership, at the Ohio County Community Golf Course, subject only to the execution by Jerry Mayes. A copy of the fully executed contract will be recorded in the office of the county clerk. Fifth District Magistrate Kenny Autry seconded the motion.
Hill recommended the court approve each lifetime contract with the golf course, single or family, and record it in the county clerk’s office.
McKenney asked how many families would be receiving a family membership to the golf course. Bullock said there was only one family to apply at this time and there will be a cap on the amount of money to be raised with the lifetime contracts. All lifetime contracts with the golf course will be first come, first served.
Hill said the court should approve a motion to cap the amount of money to be raised by the lifetime contracts at $40,000. Several court members thought the court capped the amount at $40,000 during the July 8 fiscal court meeting.
“It wasn’t in the motion (to approve the single or senior citizen contract)” McKenney reminded the court.
“Well, that’s what we discussed and if (the fiscal court) is approving all (of the lifetime contracts), then you can just stop at ($40,000),” Johnston said.
Thomas still had questions about how the fiscal court would deal with the possibility of having to reimburse some of the money collected from the lifetime memberships.
“Are we going to budget (the amount to be reimbursed) from now on? I understand that this money has already been spent, but where will those (reimbursement) funds come from in the event you had to repay (a member or member’s family)?” Thomas asked.
“Well, first of all, you could second guess and worry about things that are going to happen, a tornado could come and blow half of this building off, a lot of things could happen. You just can’t prepare for every single thing,” Johnston said. “This is so ridiculous that anybody is questioning this when you’ve got people that’s willing to step up to the bat, pay for something we needed at the course and then, well, like I said, it’s a good deal and this nit-picking is just, it’s just ridiculous. So let’s vote on it. Let’s go.”
A roll call vote was taken and the motion passed unanimously by a 6-0 vote.
After the vote, McKenney disagreed with Johnston’s comments before the vote.
“I don’t believe that this is nit-picking when we’re questioning whether or not something is legal or whether or not we’re putting money aside to take care of something that could happen catastrophically,” McKenney said. “This is (a contract) that we’re signing and agreeing that we’re going to pay back if something does happen. And if the money is not set aside, I don’t think that that’s fair to the person signing the contract.”
McKenney continued.
“I think (the question of the reimbursement money) was a very good question and to think that somebody is trying to undermine the court or undermine the golf course, I think is ludicrous in itself. I take offense to that, David, I’m sorry.”
Hill recommended the court make a motion to cap the amount to be raised at $40,000, but it was decided to approve that motion, as well as other lifetime contracts, at the next meeting on Aug. 12.
To hear audio from the meeting of the discussion of the lifetime contracts for the golf course, click here, or use the audio player below.
[audio mp3="http://www.ocmonitor.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/FiscalCourtGolfcontract7-22-14.mp3"][/audio]
