To the editor:
Salt Lake Mayor Deedee Corradini seems to be saying, "I do not want to increase city recreation activities and have them become self-supporting. We want them to keep losing money. That way, I get the golfers to pay for the losses."According to the mayor, for recreation to become self-supporting it would be necessary to increase fees as follows:
Running events, from $12 a year to $16 a year, or $1.30 a month; junior basketball, from $35 to $44 a year, $3.60 a month; junior golf lessons, from $35 to $48 a year, $4 a month; softball, from $11 to $15 a year, $1.25 a month; Steiner acquatic adult admission from $2.50 to $3 a visit, totaling $60 for 20 visits or $5 a month; Steiner child admission from $1.50 to $1.80, totaling $90 for 40 visits, or $7.50 a month.
Cheap enough. Why not do it?
But the mayor would rather increase junir golf fees $11 a round and make senior golf open players pay almost a 50 percent increase. Self-sufficient golfers must subsidize a losing recreation activity.
City policy says that any special fund balance in excess of 5 percent of the general fund may be utilized for budget purposes. General fund revenues are at $87 million and 5 percent of that is $4.3 million. Deduct this from the accumulated emergency fund of $4.8 million, leaving $551,000 - enough to pay the $484,000 deficit in the recreation program.
We never thought we would say this, but we miss former Mayor DePaulis.
M. Dean, L. Skokos, J. Lally, P. Soren
F. Caputo, R. Burnham, R. Miller
Salt Lake Citizens Golf Committee