NATCHEZ &045; Neither aldermen nor Recreation Council are in any hurry to privatize municipal Duncan Park Golf Course.

In Tuesday interviews, they said that is only one option they’re considering to help boost course revenues and, as a result, use less of taxpayers’ money to cover revenue shortfalls.

Last week, aldermen Theodore &uot;Bubber&uot; West and David Massey said cutting the city’s losses by sending out requests for proposals for privatizing the course would be its best bet.

Their comments were made in a June 22 work session in which aldermen agreed to transfer $32,000 from the sale of surplus property to cover the Recreation Department’s estimated budget shortfall for the rest of the fiscal year. Golf revenues make up almost half of the revenues taken in by the Recreation Department.

However, until Sept. 30, 2007, the city has a 10-year contract with B&G Golf & Associates, a consulting firm that contracted with the city to operate and maintain the course within the city’s budget for the course.

In return, B&G gets $60,000 a year plus after-tax revenues from the sale of golf shop merchandise &045; $46,102 this fiscal year as of May 23.

Duncan Park golf pro and B&G partner Marvin Gray couldn’t be reached for comment Tuesday.

Recreation Director Ralph Tedder said he always has to ask for more money each fiscal year to make ends meet. Therefore, the course almost always spends less than budgeted, and B&G gets its cut.

In addition, if B&G spends less than the budgeted amount to run the course, it gets 30 percent of that amount.

And if revenues exceed spending by up to $25,000, B&G gets 40 percent of that amount &045; and 50 percent of any revenues above the $25,000 threshold.

&uot;We’re paying B&G to run the golf course with (the city’s) employees and budget, and we’re getting a certified (grounds) superintendent and a PGA pro,&uot; Tedder said.

&uot;But under privatization, we’d pay someone a certain number of dollars and they’d run it. We (the city) would be totally out of it.&uot;

The city first went with B&G &uot;because the course was losing money to the tune of $10,000 to $15,000 a year,&uot; Tedder said. &uot;The purpose was to upgrade services, but the main purpose was to break even. And it worked the first couple of years.&uot;

Then, in July 1999, private Beau Pr Country Club course opened, one factor that siphoned players from Duncan Park, Tedder said.

Slumping revenues aren’t new at the Duncan Park course, and B&G’s contract with the city still has more than two years left to go. So why has the issue of privatizing golf come up now?

&uot;Just because Ralph has had to come back to the Board (of Aldermen) each month&uot; for additional revenues, said Joe Eidt, a member and past chairman of the city’s Recreation Council.

Eidt said the council has discussed a number of options for managing the course, including privatizing it, having the city take over management again or renewing B&G’s contract, with or without adjustments.

But he hastened to add that the council hasn’t voted on the issue and still has to research how privatization has worked in other communities.

Massey said the Board of Aldermen is also simply looking at its options regarding the course and probably won’t revisit the issue until about October, the start of the city’s fiscal year.

For his part Alderman Jake Middleton, the Board of Aldermen’s recreation chairman, said reviewing such options is just good business any time a contract is even close to expiring.

&uot;And we better start looking at it now, because (expiration) will be here before you know it,&uot; Middleton said.

One question that remains, however, is whether companies specializing in running golf courses will find it worth their while to take over a small municipal course, Tedder said.

Meanwhile, Middleton said recreation isn’t the only area of the city’s ever-tight budget that’s being looked at this time of year. &uot;We’re looking at everything,&uot; he said.