Most people who visit Arlington Greens next summer will pay slightly more to play, but the majority of Splash City patrons will be charged the same rates as they were in 2013.
Arlington Greens has a current operating profit of more than $100,000 this fiscal year. General Manager Mark Marcuzzo told the Collinsville Area Board of Commissioners, at their regular meeting on Nov. 19, that he wanted to raise rates to increase profits, but wanted to ensure the increases did not drive customers away and drive down profit.
High rates at some area courses, including courses in St. Louis, are the reason the majority of people who play at Arlington Greens are non-residents, Marcuzzo said. To keep that competitive advantage, the CARD Board approved rate increases of mostly $1 or $2.
CARD Executive Director Terry Wilson said he hopes the slight rate increases will generate an additional $60,000 in fiscal year 2015. CARD fiscal years run from May 1 to April 30.
The group that will see the largest fee increase is kids who live outside of the CARD district and buy a summer pass. The current charge is $150, but will increase to $200 in 2014. Resident rates will remain the same.
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Arlington Greens 2014 Rate Changes |
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|
Weekday |
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| 2013 Resident | 2013 Non-Resident | 2014 Resident | 2014 Non-Resident | |
| 18 holes with cart |
$24 |
$30 |
$25 |
$31 |
| Twilight |
$18 |
$23 |
$20 |
$25 |
| League fees |
$17 |
$17 |
$18 |
$18 |
| Women’s league |
$18 |
$18 |
$20 |
$20 |
|
Weekend |
||||
| 18 holes with cart |
$27 |
$37 |
$29 |
$39 |
| 9 holes with cart |
$20 |
$25 |
$21 |
$26 |
| Twilight |
$20 |
$25 |
$21 |
$26 |
|
Kids Summer Pass |
||||
|
$150 |
$150 |
$150 |
$200 |
|
Splash City Water Park will look to increase revenue through increased group fees, park rental fees and the introduction of private cabanas for rent.
The private cabanas will be private areas, enclosed by three walls. Up to eight guests will receive private lockers, complimentary water and upgraded seating. Each cabana will rent for $65 on weekdays and $75 on weekends.
Group rates will increase by 50 cents and rental of the park will increase by $25. All other rates are currently scheduled to remain unchanged from 2013. Locker rentals will move from timed rates to a flat daily rate of $2.
Using the Term Profit Needs an Asterisk
For most people the term profit signifies that total receipts exceed total expenses. Arlington Greens is funded by several different funds including primarily the Golf Fund but also parts of the Social Security, Liability, Capital Improvement, General Corporate, and Bond & Interest Funds. When taken in a vacuum, the Golf Fund alone showed a “profit” of roughly $100,000 for the past season. However, when all golf course related costs are included from the other funds listed above, the actual cost of Arlington Greens is a net loss of roughly a quarter million dollars. This loss is funded by the local property taxpayers, not the golfers. Therefore each of the roughly 25,000 rounds played at Arlington in the past year has received an approximate $10 taxpayer subsidy.
As a Commissioner, I would prefer to set the rates high enough to remove the burden of the subsidy from the local taxpayers. However, one must be realistic of what rates Arlington Greens will actual support based on the comparable rates of other nearby courses.
In the end one has to set a delicate balance of setting the rates at a level which maximizes the revenue into the park district (both number of rounds played and price matter) so that we may find ways to limit the costs to the local taxpayers.
Mark R. Achenbach
CARD Commissioner