The fate of London’s River Road golf course still remains unclear.
The golf course is one of three owned by the city, along with the Thames Valley and Fanshawe golf courses. A recent review by auditing firm KPMG found River Road to be underperforming, leading city staff to suggest it be closed.
On Tuesday, city council met as the strategic priorities and policy committee and voted instead to aim for a more cautious approach when teeing up River Road’s future.
City staff’s initial suggestion to discontinue operations at the east-end golf course was fuelled by ongoing financial issues and a decline in rounds played, as reported by KPMG. City staff would later note during Tuesday’s meeting that the River Road golf course also struggles with flooding issues.
Councillors instead introduced a motion that would direct staff to explore further options for the future use of River Road.
This exploration would be complemented with public consultations, an aspect of the motion that pleased budget chair and Ward 7 Coun. Josh Morgan.
The motion earned similar praise from other councillors and would pass by unanimous decision.
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A final vote on the matter is expected to arrive next Tuesday when councillors meet as the full city council. In the meantime, River Road golf course will continue to operate as usual.
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Other committee notes
Tuesday’s meeting was part of an ongoing process to cut costs ahead of the upcoming 2020-23 budget.
The meeting also saw another KPMG review of the fee structure for city services. The focus was placed on fire services, with city staff suggesting the London Fire Department reduce the number of false alarms not subject to fees and increase the fee for false alarms.
Committee members voted to receive this report, with any potential changes informing the multi-year budget’s 2021 update.
A separate motion introduced by Mayor Ed Holder also garnered support last night.
Holder suggested the city work with the London Transit Commission to seek federal and provincial funding for his plan to make London Transit’s fleet fully electric.
Holder’s motion passed by a unanimous decision.
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