Will Taxpayers Foot the Bill for Golf Course?

To the editor:

We appreciate the comments made by Steve and Karen Jacoby last week regarding the Eagan Golf Course Exploratory Committee. We would also like to know who foots the initial bill and the continuing debt payments.

A recent article on the Mounds View municipal golf course currently under construction is informative. Mounds View has found itself with growing debt and hoped to use billboard advertisement on course grounds to raise money, a move currently prohibited by zoning.

While we don't think that would necessarily be an issue with the Eagan golf course proposal, it raises a very important question of who foots the bill should the proposed Eagan golf course find itself in similar straits. The Eagan taxpayers?

New golf courses have a relatively poor track record for immediate return on debt, many of them being sold by the first owners. Will the city simply turn around, sell the course, have the taxpayers eat the loss and lose a park in the process? Not if we can help it.

Chris and Val Jackson
Eagan