Public can weigh in on golf fees, pet licensing at Salt Lake City Council meeting

SALT LAKE CITY — Playing nine holes at Salt Lake City golf courses may get more expensive next year.

City leaders are proposing to raise green fees by $1 per nine-hole round of golf to help fund improvement projects at city golf courses. Depending on the course, additional fees could be levied for operations.

City officials estimate the nine city-owned golf courses — including the two 18-hole courses at Mountain Dell — require $22 million in maintenance and improvements.

An additional $1 or $2 per round would barely make a dent in that total, but it would allow the city to do more than just maintain the courses.

The public has been invited to weigh in on the proposed fee increases when the City Council meets at 7 p.m. Tuesday in Room 315 of the Salt Lake City-County Building, 451 S. State.

Lean city budgets brought on by the struggling economy and a sharp decline in sales-tax revenue have prevented city courses from moving forward with renovations and improvement projects over the past few years.

All of Salt Lake City's golf facilities operate through enterprise funds and are self-sustaining, meaning they're able to get by with the money they bring in — a rarity among public courses.

But city officials say "getting by" isn't enough. Courses need to be improved — or in some cases better maintained — to continue attracting players.

A city task force has met over the past two months to figure out how to fund needed improvements. A majority of task force members support raising fees.

Other options include selling off land bordering some of the golf courses and using that money to make needed repairs and improvements.

Also Tuesday, the City Council will hold a public hearing on proposed changes to animal services in the city that would remove limits on the number of dogs and cats per home and require cats to be licensed.

The change would put the city's regulations in line with that of Salt Lake County, which handles animal services for the city.

The city currently allows only two dogs or cats per home. County officials say responsible owners will provide proper care to their pets no matter how many they have.

"We still have laws that deal with neglect and abuse and care and maintenance," April Harris, with Salt Lake County Animal Services, told the City Council during a work session last month. "If you're not able to provide proper care and maintenance, whether you have 40 cats or two, you're not able to provide."

The cost to license a cat would range between $5 and $25, depending on whether the cat is spayed/neutered and microchipped. A discount for senior citizens also is proposed.

Harris said the county has issued nearly 400 cat licenses since the county implemented the policy in April. Most of those cats also are microchipped, she said.

E-mail: jpage@desnews.com