The Peoria Park District says dwindling golf numbers and high operational cost from the Central Park Pool are helping drive a nearly $1 million deficit for next year's budget. The District is considering closing the pool and one or more of its six golf courses to get in the black. Peoria Park District Board President Tim Cassidy says reserve funds have dwindled by 80-percent since 2010:
Candidly I would say we probably shouldn’t have been living off of reserves the last four years, we should have made some of these hard decisions sooner. We kept hoping that the economy would come back and our tax revenues would grow and they haven’t. It’s been the opposite, it has shrunk.”
No decisions were made at Wednesday's board meeting. Members of the public told board members the Park District swim team could increase monthly fees to help boost revenue. Others suggested the district needs to do a better job looking for budget alternatives before closing the Central Park pool. Cassidy says a $1.3 million deficit is projected for next year if changes aren’t made.