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Gainesville city commissioners seek clarity about Ironwood Golf Course finances

After years of substantial operational losses and an audit from the state, the Gainesville City Commission wants more transparency about the Ironwood Golf Course.

The commission is looking for the course management to disclose their budget-to-actual analysis for the 2020, 2021 and 2022 fiscal years. The city has owned the course since 1992.

“This is directly responsive to the operational audit report conducted by the state auditor general,” Andrew Persons, a special advisor to the city manager, said at Thursday's General Policy Committee meeting. “Finding 11 (of the state's 2022 audit) found that there could be greater transparency with reporting the ironwood course operations.”

The commission also wants regular updates to the city's Finance Committee.

“The very fact that we are talking about this today is directly responsive to the audit concerns about transparency,” Persons said. “Not only the discussion right now, but moving forward, having a regular update to the commission related to Ironwood at the appropriate committee, which is the finance committee, and setting that framework in place.”

Ironwood has experienced hundreds of thousands of dollars in operational losses over the last three fiscal years alone.

The city staff plans to present the first- and second-quarter budget-to-actual analysis for 2023 at the upcoming finance committee meeting on May 23 and to the city commission on June 1.

Aileyahu is a reporter for WUFT News who can be reached by calling 352-392-6397 or emailing news@wuft.org.