Golf courses and accountability highlight city council agenda
Posted Jun 17, 2019 9:23 am.
Last Updated Jun 17, 2019 9:24 am.
CALGARY (660 NEWS) – Shutting a golf course and spending cuts, those are just a couple of things Calgary city council is dealing with Monday.
The city is looking at whether to close Richmond Green golf course by the end of the season.
According to Councillor Ward Sutherland, Richmond Green in the southwest is losing money and also has the lowest attendance of the six municipally owned courses.
This could be a sign the city is prepared to get out of the golf business as it’s currently reviewing the costs and land value of all courses and what they could be potentially sold off for.
The possible shut down of the course comes as the city continues to look for spending cuts following a decision to axe $60 million from its budget.
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Mayor Naheed Nenshi is urging councillors to be cautious when talking budget cuts.
“We’ve only got a few weeks in which to cut about 5 per cent of the remaining year’s budget. What I’ve been very clear with council is we can’t get political posturing about it. Administration has to make those decisions and frankly, we have to accept them.”
Council will ultimately have to approve the budget cuts when the recommendations are made. That’s likely to happen in early July.
One other item on the agenda is a motion to improve accountability in council.
Ward 11 Councillor Jeromy Farkas is pushing the idea he says would provide easy access to council voting records.
“There’s no reason that Calgarians can’t have the most responsive and most transparent local government in Canada,” said Farkas. “Councillors should be proud to stand by what they say and what they do through the course of their duties.”
You deserve to know how your City Councillor voted! I have submitted a motion to increase City Hall accountability and make it easier for Calgarians to keep tabs on their elected officials. More information: https://t.co/Q4nlLagZcg #yyccc pic.twitter.com/Rx401KvgHU
— Jeromy (Pathfinder) Farkas (@JeromyYYC) June 13, 2019
Farkas says that these records are available but extremely difficult to access.
