Saturday, March 27, 2010 | 2:05 a.m.
The Boulder City Council voted unanimously Thursday to operate the Boulder Creek Golf Course Club out of the city’s general fund so it can be accounted for with the Municipal Golf Course.
The change could allow the city to sign a single maintenance contract for both courses and share equipment without having to account for it separately, City Manager Vicki Mayes said.
The Boulder Creek course is presently operated out of a separate enterprise fund.
The vote came as the City Council met to formulate a budget for the fiscal year that starts in July.
The council also voted to hire a deputy city clerk in November, despite a hiring freeze on vacant positions until January. And it rejected recommendations to eliminate the city’s public information officer and scale back some BCTV programming.
Former City Clerk Pamella Malmstrom said a deputy City Clerk is a necessity because it allows City Clerk Lorene Krumm to have a backup in case she cannot perform her duties.
“The city clerk plays a vital role in the day-to-day operations of the city of Boulder City,” said Malmstrom said. “It is imperative to have an individual trained, certified and prepared to handle the duties of the city clerk should the city clerk not be available to handle those duties.”
Council members Linda Strickland and Travis Chandler, meanwhile, voiced support for cutting the public information officer position. Chandler said the city is too small to have a public information officer.
“It’s only when you get to a much larger city, perhaps five times the population we have here, where you find a public information officer,” Chandler said. “Most press releases I get recently are originally generated from the police department, so there might be opportunities here to save some money.”
Strickland also proposed eliminating some of BCTV’s programming but continuing to air City Council meetings.
Resident Jeane Harshman said many people depend on BCTV, and it is the only way for disabled residents to watch council meetings.
“Many people cannot come to these meetings, but they can watch everything at home,” she said. “Perhaps it would be best to move on with this particular item.”
Chandler said the council should look at eliminating staff positions before cutting programs.
“I don’t want to disturb BCTV (because) a lot of residents in Boulder City watch it and want to know what these five rascals are up to and keep a close eye on us,” he said.
Mayor Roger Tobler and Council members Cam Walker and Duncan McCoy said changes need to be made to BCTV but not in the upcoming fiscal budget.
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