Title
Task Force on Municipal Golf in Madison Parks Update
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TASK FORCE ON MUNCIPAL GOLF IN MADISON PARKS - FINAL REPORT EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The Common Council created the nine member Task Force on Municipal Golf in Madison Parks (“Task Force”) to consider all options for the parkland currently in use for municipal golf and to make recommendations to the Mayor, Common Council, Committees and Commissions on the future of the City’s Municipal Golf Courses. The Council directed the Task Force to solicit input from local stakeholders, examine best practices, and balance the allocation of resources among various parks uses. The Council also directed the Task Force to prioritize equity, public health, financial sustainability, and environmental sustainability in making recommendations on the future of Madison’s Municipal Golf Courses by May 1, 2020.[1]
The Task Force originally scheduled nine meetings over a seven month period beginning on October 23, 2019. With the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic in March, the final three meetings scheduled for March and April were cancelled. Subsequently, the Common Council adopted a resolution[2] to extend the deadline for the Task Force until July 31, 2020. Beginning on May 18, 2020 the Task Force began meeting virtually, for a total of 11 meetings before the conclusion of its work. Many Task Force members toured the courses to better understand the capital needs of the facilities.
The Task Force reviewed the current operational model for the Golf Enterprise including course utilization, current operations, staffing, capital infrastructure, and financial performance of the courses. The Task Force received substantial feedback and input from the community through surveys, focus groups, town hall type meetings, and direct testimony (both written and verbal).
The Task Force voted at its final meeting on July 30, 2020 to approve this Final Report with a vote of five members in favor and two members opposed. The Task Force submits to the public, Board of Park Commissioners, Common Council, and Mayor Rhodes-Conway the following ten recommendations related to Municipal Golf in Madison Parks:
1. The City should provide Municipal Golf in Madison Parks.
2. The City should remove the enterprise fund designation from its golf course.
3. The City should update the mission of the golf program.
4. The City should issue a Request for Proposals to evaluate the option of a private or non-profit operator for Monona and establish a plan and timeline to eliminate 18 holes at Yahara Hills.
5. The City should work with the University of Wisconsin, including the OJ Noer Ag Research Station, to develop Integrated Pest Management protocols that are at the forefront of managing public golf courses sustainably.
6. The City should work to promote positive ecological outcomes at the golf courses through reducing reliance on limited natural resources and providing ecological assets.
7. The City should work with stakeholders and staff to develop a specific action plan to promote equity and inclusion at all courses.
8. The City should work with residents, stakeholders, and partners to promote wider utilization by the community of the golf courses to better integrate the courses into the wider park system for uses other than golf.
9. The City should ensure that if City resources are used to invest in capital projects at golf courses it is done in an equitable and fiscally responsible manner to reduce negative impact on park services across the system.
10. The City should not sell park land to fund capital improvements of the golf courses.