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<\/p>\nMOORHEAD \u2014 A Moorhead City Council member wants discussions about municipal golf course funding to be on the table, but says she has not called for either of the city\u2019s two golf courses to close.<\/p>\n
Moorhead City Council member Deb White brought up the issue of funding for Moorhead\u2019s two city-owned golf courses during a Moorhead City Council workshop on Tuesday, Sept. 15. The city of Moorhead routinely transfers funds from the tax levy-supported park fund to support golf course operations.<\/p>\n
After the meeting, Moorhead Mayor Shelly Carlson called out White in a now-deleted Facebook post, saying that White proposed closing one of the courses.<\/p>\n
During Tuesday\u2019s meeting, which focused on the 2027 budget, White suggested the council look at a proposed $110,000 transfer from the park fund to pay for the golf courses.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re hearing from a lot of people that things are tough, and maybe this isn\u2019t the year to subsidize golf,\u201d White said during the meeting.<\/p>\n
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Moorhead City Council Member Deb White speaks during the Moorhead City Council meeting on Monday, May 11, 2026, at the Hjemkomst Center in Moorhead.<\/p>\n
Alyssa Goelzer \/ The Forum<\/p>\n
The costs to operate the two golf courses are higher than the revenues generated by the golf courses. The golf course budget for 2026 is around $2.4 million. The budget included a $395,000 transfer from the park fund to help cover costs.<\/p>\n
Staff are still working on the overall golf course budget for 2027, according to city of Moorhead Finance Director Jenica Flanagan.<\/p>\n
White\u2019s suggestion was met with opposition from Carlson. In the deleted Facebook post, Carlson said White \u201csuggested we consider closing at least one of our golf courses as a way to reduce costs.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Moorhead Mayor Shelly Carlson speaks at the Moorhead City Council meeting on Monday, April 13, 2026, at the Hjemkomst Center in Moorhead.<\/p>\n
Alyssa Goelzer \/ The Forum<\/p>\n
During the meeting Tuesday, White did not suggest closing a golf course. Instead, she called for the council to look at whether it is sustainable for the city to have two 18-hole golf courses.<\/p>\n
\u201cShould we look at things, like should it be one 18- and one nine-hole?\u201d White said during the meeting. \u201cBut the fact that we haven\u2019t been allowed to even have those conversations is frustrating.\u201d<\/p>\n
Carlson said she decided to make the Facebook post after White has repeatedly brought up the topic of golf course funding.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are close to 35,000 people that use our golf courses every single year, and I think that they deserve to be notified about the fact that this was a topic of discussion,\u201d Carlson said.<\/p>\n
Since 2017, staff have reduced the golf courses\u2019 need for transferred funds, Carlson said.<\/p>\n
In the deleted post, Carlson also claimed White \u201cpreviously raised the idea of closing a golf course and using the property for low-income housing.\u201d White told The Forum she has never proposed closing a golf course and using the land for low-income housing.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have never once said that, and it was really troubling,\u201d White said.<\/p>\n
During a City Council workshop in March, White did bring up the existing housing around the back nine holes of The Meadows golf course, but made no mention of low-income housing.<\/p>\n
\u201cSay that we were to take a look at taking off the back nine, that could be sold for development, right?\u201d White asked during the March meeting.<\/p>\n
After Carlson deleted her initial Facebook post, she addressed the deletion in a second Facebook post. She said she took the post down due to Minnesota\u2019s open meeting law, not because of anything stated in the post.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen multiple Council members begin weighing in on or discussing City business outside of an official meeting \u2013 even on social media \u2013 we have to be careful not to inadvertently create an Open Meeting Law issue,\u201d Carlson wrote. \u201cWe were getting to the point where participation by even one more Council member could have raised that concern.\u201d<\/p>\n
During Tuesday\u2019s discussion, White was not suggesting the city close a golf course and was not pushing for a specific decision, she told The Forum. White said the suggestion to reconsider transferring money for the golf courses in 2027 stemmed from a conversation with a constituent, who emphasized that the city needs to separate its needs and wants.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt doesn\u2019t mean that I don\u2019t value something, but it means that if it comes down to it, we sometimes have to make some difficult choices,\u201d White said.<\/p>\n
White, who represents Moorhead\u2019s Ward 3, is up for reelection in the Nov. 3 election. Carlson, whose term ends this year, is not running for reelection.<\/p>\n
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