The Ohio Supreme Court had to intervene in the complicated issue of municipal golf courses managed by private operators. In the end, Cincinnati's municipal golf courses will keep their property tax exemptions.
"Thanks to an Ohio Supreme Court decision, Cincinnati's municipal golf courses will get more than $2.8 million in property taxes back and it now has a plan for about half of that money," reports Carrie Blackmore Smith.
The money will help fund improvements to clubhouses, cart paths, and irrigation at "many, if not all," of the city's municipal golf courses.
The financial boom for the city of Cincinnati's golf courses comes as the popularity of the sport in Cincinnati, as well as around the country, wanes. In Cincinnati, however, "the golf courses…are still self-sustaining and popular. Despite declining numbers, the city still managed to log 236,084 rounds in 2015. "They receive no tax revenue from the city and are maintained to help 'build a robust public life,'" adds Blackmore Smith in describing the city's case for public golf.
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Journal of the American Planning Association