Rec tax opponents target free passes at golf course

Charles Oliver

Recreation is not only for children.

“Good adult programs are also important,” said Cathy Holmes, a spokeswoman for the Committee for Efficient Government.

But Holmes asks why Dalton city taxpayers are subsidizing golfers at the city’s Nob North golf course in Varnell.

Data provided by the recreation department show Nob North has run in the red for the past three years. Over the past five years, it has run a total net operating loss of more than $407,000.

Holmes points to the fact that Nob North allows many local political leaders to play free. According to the recreation department, 45 people currently have free golf passes.

Records show the majority of those people have not used them this year. Recreation director Ronnie Nix says that at least one of those pass holders, George Mitchell, asked that his name be taken from the list but the commission chose not to act on the request.

Records provided by the recreation department show that a handful of those with passes use them relatively frequently. For instance, Herb Martin used his free pass more than 100 times between Oct. 18, 2007, and Oct. 23, 2008. Pat Hicks used his free pass more than 60 times in that period, and Kal Kelehear used his more than 55 times.

Kelehear, a member of the Committee to Save Recreation, defends the free passes as an incentive to those who have served the community.

The recreation commission adopted a policy in 1994 that provides free passes to Nob North to current members of the City Council and the recreation commission. That policy also provides passes to former members of the council and the recreation commission annually for each year of service on either of those bodies. The recreation commission can also issue annual passes to others at its discretion. All those passes can only be used on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. The passes may not be given to others, but those who have them can bring one guest.

“I’ve got 24 years of free golf coming, and I don’t play golf,” said former mayor Ray Elrod.

Free rounds account for just over 3 percent of total rounds played at Nob North in 2006 and 2007. According to data provided by the recreation department, 60,317 rounds of golf were played at Nob North in 2006 and 2007 and 1,862 were free, not counting 577 rounds provided free to high school golfers.

Those who currently have free passes at Nob North are David Pennington, George Sadosuk, Denise Wood, Charlie Bethel, Dick Lowrey, Pete Wilson Jr., Melvyn Ottinger, Bill Chappell, Alan Wells, Steven Thomas, Brian Anderson, Mike Cowan, Randy Waskul, Leo Whaley, Butch Sanders, Bob McLeod, Roger Williams, Don Thomas, Tom Dickson, Ray Elrod, Bobby Grant, Terry Christie, Jimmy Young, Donnie Ellis, Jim Middleton, Charles Whitener, Mike Robinson, Chip Sellers, Kal Kelehear, Scott Sellers, Francisco Palacios, Rick Fromm, Mark Orr, Tulley Johnson, Danny Crutchfield, Steve Williams, Herb Martin, Pat Hicks, Harold Brooker, Leonard Cochran, Richard Bramblett, George Mitchell, Benny Dunn and Kenny Gowin.

Nob North fees

• Nine holes: $14 weekday, $21 weekend

• 18 holes: $24 weekday, $31 weekend