08.08.07
Lexington has a tax – funded golf course that has lost over $1.3 million tax dollars in the past 3 years, and continues to lose over $200,000 per year. (Figures from the John Locke Foundation, see link). These figures have been disputed publicly by the City Manager, but were taken from the City of Lexington’s own Financial Reports. By anyone’s math, it is hundreds of thousands of dollars every year. If sold, the city would be free of this debt and have tax revenue as well, yet no serious effort to sell the course has been made. Many of the City Councilmen and Mayor live on this golf course, a tax - funded 117 acre City -owned vanity showcase that a minority utilizes yet the majority pays for. Instead of building the Dreadlox (re-named Westview)development strip mall on this land and gaining tax revenue on a losing enterprise, the City annexed land for it’s building across the street from long-established, quiet family neighborhoods-against the overwhelming objections of the affected nearby residents. Also ignored were the over sixty abandoned buildings and sites avaliable within the City limits. It is doubtful that the 300 apartments building planned could have been built without the Ctiy sewer. (Dispatch, Feb.20,07). Because EVERY taxpayer-County and City- pays for this tax waste of a golf course, we should DEMAND that the golf course be sold or turned into a park that we can ALL enjoy, not just the Lexington elite.*****This is OUR money, friends. The Politicians are supposed to work for US, not the other way around. We should not have to pay for a Golf Course so that the Mayor and City Council can have a nice place to live and play. Wake up, Lexington.