By Mike Pound
mpound@joplinglobe.com
CARL JUNCTION, Mo. — It appears that Carl Junction voters will make a collective decision on the future of Briarbrook Golf and Country Club.
Central to that decision will be a proposed bond issue that would be used to purchase, upgrade and operate the property.
By a 7-1 vote, the Carl Junction City Council on Tuesday night passed a motion to place the issue on the April 7 ballot.
The motion did not mention a specific dollar amount for the bond issue, but earlier in the meeting, City Administrator Steve Lawver said the maximum amount, by state law, that the city could issue in bonds would be $2.7 million. The amount that has been cited for the purchase alone is $1.9 million.
Lawver said that figure would raise the city’s debt-service levy by 15.5 cents per $100 of assessed valuation. For the owner of a $100,000 home, Lawver said, the increase would translate to a $29.45 hike in annual property taxes.
Multiple Briarbrook residents have urged the council to consider a city-backed purchase as the best way to keep the country club in operation. The club includes an 18-hole golf course, a 6,000-square-foot clubhouse, tennis courts, a swimming pool and 95 acres of undeveloped land.
Members of the county club have been expressing dissatisfaction with the operation since the club’s current owner, Steve Hays, purchased it in 2007. Club members have alleged that routine maintenance is not being performed. The club’s restaurant stopped serving food last June, and the club’s liquor license was not renewed. The city and Hays have been negotiating a purchase price for the club for several months.
During the meeting Tuesday night, Mayor Mike Moss said that if the city were to buy the club, the golf course, swimming pool and tennis courts would become municipal property, and would be operated by the city. He said the city would look to lease out the operation of the club’s restaurant and bar. He said the 95 acres of undeveloped land that is part of the property would be turned into a municipal park with walking and biking trails.
About 40 people crowded into the council chambers, and several residents addressed the council about the proposed bond issue.
Steve Fredrickson said the city needs more sidewalks and sewer upgrades, and questioned whether the city should be spending money to purchase the golf course.
“I wonder if our priorities are where they need to be,” he said.
Mary Schillaci told the council that other municipal golf courses, including Joplin’s Schifferdecker course and courses in Neosho and Carthage, are losing money. She questioned how the city would be able to operate the Briarbrook course without also losing money.
Karen Rutledge spoke in favor of the purchase plan. She said the current Briarbrook membership would give the city a financial advantage that other municipal courses do not enjoy, and she expressed concern about what would happen if the city did not step in and purchase the golf course.
Lawver acknowledged that the decision to place the measure on the April ballot was a tough one, but he said the issue would be best decided by the voters of Carl Junction.
Mark Powers, a member of the council, agreed.
“We should let the people decide,” he said. “If they vote it down, they vote it down. If they vote it up, they vote it up.”
Mike Talley, city attorney, told the council that the motion passed Tuesday was the first step in getting the measure on the April ballot. He said an ordinance must be drawn up, the city must meet with a bonding agent, and the purchase plan must go through the city’s Planning and Zoning Commission.
“This doesn’t get the job done. It gets the ball rolling,” he said.
Talley said he was confident he could have an ordnance ready for the council to consider at its Jan. 20 meeting.
Deadline
According to the Jasper County clerk’s office, Jan. 27 is the deadline for placing an issue on the April 7 ballot.
