By Jana Wiersema
In a move that’s par for the course, the city’s decision on golf courses has been put on hold yet again.
At Tuesday’s city council meeting, Columbus Mayor Jim Lienhoop said that when the parks department’s 2021 general fund budget is presented to city council on Oct. 6, it will include funding for Greenbelt and Par 3, which would allow both courses to remain open for at least another year. He added that the funding could still be voted down.
The parks’ general fund budget does not include Otter Creek. Lienhoop has said in the past that the course’s funding comes from the Economic Development Income Tax fund.
Lienhoop’s announcement Tuesday came on the heels of a recent decision by the Columbus Parks Board. The parks board approved a 2021 general fund budget without any funding for golf, with the intention to close Greenbelt and turn over management of Par 3 to Otter Creek’s management team.
The board included an addendum in their decision, saying that they would reconsider these actions if the Columbus City Council approves an additional $176,000 for the parks general fund budget. According to the official motion, city council had seven days to make a decision.
However, the final decision will not be made until next month.
“If the city council chose to approve a larger budget that accommodated golf, they could make those changes on Oct. 6 and the subsequent meeting on Oct. 20,” parks board attorney Michael P. DeArmitt said.
For more on this story, see Thursday’s Republic
