Hiking Fees & Taking Back Buyouts

Ordinance 780-2016, set to be rubber-stamped this Thursday, does three things:

1. Hikes Golf and Stable fees:

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UCCF 5/26/16: KemperSports Golf Bonus

2016-455: Authorizing the 2015 Incentive Payment to Kempersports, Inc. in the amount of $1,383.00 in accordance with the contract.
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Fifth of July Fizzle

At 9:25 tonight there will be another fireworks display in the area; this one run by the Union County freeholders for some reason that escapes me.  Maybe someone out there can explain it:

In any case, there seemed to be little logic behind running this thing with no on-sight parking at a dangerous highway crossing with only a handful of shuttle buses to transfer maybe 300 people three miles late on a Sunday night.  Here are my highlights so far:
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Golf Fireworks

The New Jersey State Golf Association will host their 95th Open Championship in a couple of weeks at Rockaway River Country Club in Denville.  I bring this up because their 96th Open Championship, as announced in 2012,  will be held at Galloping Hill Golf Club.  Coincidentally, also in what might be the same month next year, Baltusrol will be hosting the PGA Championship (one of the Majors of golf) with elaborate plans already set.  How will Galloping Hill compete?  We just might have gotten a clue.

Golf Budget Impact

You wouldn’t know that 2014 was a tumultuous year for golf operations in Union County from the mentions of golf at the budget hearings which consisted of:
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Nothing about a new five-year contract for KemperSports (which includes having KemperSports run banquet and Red Knot operations out of the new facility that county taxpayers provided them with) or budget numbers which, despite ignoring  the Galloping Hill Clubhouse debt, county employee pension and benefit costs,  and raiding the Open Space trust fund, still loses more and more money:

Golf Costs – 2014

Were you to OPRA expense and revenue information for Union County golf operations you would get 34 pages in pdf format of about 20,000 numbers in 4-point type and if you squinted you might be able to see the county claiming total revenues rose from $6,325,759 in 2013 to $7,621,400 in 2014 and, after reduction for expenses, net income rising from $162,062 in 2013 to $501,587 in 2014.

But after taking out some columns and leaving only the 2013/2014 Actual Summary for All Units to put into an spreadsheet a different story emerges.

UCCF 11/13/14: Kemper Golf Contracts

2014-881: Authorizing the County Manager to enter into contracts with Kemper Sports Management for Golf Management Services and Concessionaire for the Pro Shop and all Food and Beverage sales for a period of 60 Months (5 years), commencing on November 17, 2014 and ending on November 16, 2019 to provide the necessary golf course management services in the total amount not to exceed $509,724.00; and a concession fee to the County of Union of seven (7%) each year of the gross revenue from the Pro Shop and all of food and beverage sales.
2014-882: Approving the operational budget for golf course operations for Kemper Sports Management, for the period of November 17, 2014 through December 31, 2015 in the amount of $4,528,207.
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Contracts to have Kemper Sports Management, Inc. (Kemper) run golf operations (GOLF) for the county and food/beverage/catering operations (CONCESSIONS) for themselves are dated today, November 17, 2014.  Highlights from these contracts: