Portland City Council is proposing three significant changes to the city’s golf program with potential long-term ramifications. In developing the 2025-26 budget, the City Council has voted to 1) take $825,000 from the golf program’s reserves to subsidize candidates running for city office in the next general election; 2) take another $1 million to pay for non-golf Parks Bureau maintenance; and 3) charge golfers an additional $5 per 18-hole round to backfill cuts in other Parks Bureau programs, (“ Portland City Council diverts police dollars to parks during marathon budget meeting, ” May 22).

These actions not only weaken the golf program but also detract from the city’s mission to keep golf accessible to all.

Portland’s golf program is funded by user fees – not by the general fund – to

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