Friday, June 25, 2010

SF Supervisors Budget Committee Hearings - Update

Golf Alliance Members --

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors' Budget Committee wraps up its public hearings on Monday, June 28, at which time it will likely vote on recommended alterations to the Mayor's proposed 2010-2012 budget to be sent on to the Full Board (which will vote to adopt a budget at the Full Board's July 13 meeting. 

In the Rec & Park Department's two public hearing appearances before the Budget Committee on June 17 and 24, there was not a mention of Sharp Park by anybody, and there were no questions from the Supervisors to the Rec & Park staff as to what amount of money is in the 2010-2012 budget for Sharp, or whether or not Sharp "makes money" or "loses money" for the city.  Nor was there any question about the amount of capital expenses relating to Sharp in the 2010-2012 budget. Sharp Park in fact does not appear as a separate line item in the published 2010-2012 Rec & Park budget; and it is not possible to tell from that document how much money is spent or taken in by the city at the Sharp Park Golf Course.  

At the June 21 public comment session, the Golf Course's Opponents, as expected, made the argument that Sharp Park should be closed in order to make more money available in the 2010-2012 budget for social services, arts, and public parks programs that would otherwise be cut.  However, Golf's Opponents did not introduce any evidence --  and the Supervisors asked for none -- of so-called fiscal "losses" at Sharp.  On the other hand, SF Public Golf Alliance introduced evidence obtained in the course of the 2009 Rec & Park Department Sharp Park public hearings that Sharp Park Golf Course brings in more money to the Department than it costs to operate.  We also pointed out that the proposed 2010-2012 budget contains no capital expense line items (such a sea wall repair, environmental habitat restoration, etc) attributable to the golf course.  So there would be no fiscal savings to the city from closing the golf course.

Keep an eye on the Supervisors' Budget Committee's hearing Monday, June 28, beginning at 10 a.m.
It will be live-televised on SFGovTV:



Keep the Faith.
-- Richard Harris
   San Francisco Public Golf Alliance
   415-392-5431, ext. 203 

No comments: