Writer's Block

Don't mess with the golfers...

As much as I may think I know what the news is, I'm often surprised. Take this weekend's story about the various changes to rates and fees being proposed by the mayor as part of her annual budget. Every year the budget contains adjustments to the fees we pay for sewer service, trash pickup, dog licenses, building permits and a  host of other county services, to keep up with the cost of doing business, so this is basically a story we (I) do every year.

That means every year I have to make the same decision: what should I lead the story with? Out of 20 or so proposed rate changes, what's going to be most important to people? If something really stands out -- such as (hypothetically) a really huge increase for trash collection -- I'll go with that; otherwise, I usually pick something like water rates, figuring it'll affect the most people. This year I decided to lead with proposed changes to community center rentals, since the adjustment in rates would affect the way people use the facilities (by the hour instead of by the day).

But judging by the turnout at Monday's Budget Committee meeting, it was really the golf fees people were interested in. We heard from a number of golfers upset over the county's plan to increase fees, saying even a $5 hike in the fee for seniors (from $3 to $8) is too much and would cause seniors to stop playing. They also complained about the condition of the course. (The county is saying the fees are necessary to keep up with the rising cost of maintenance and operations.)

Not being a golfer, I just wasn't aware of these issues when I wrote the first story. If I had been, I definitely would have put more focus on the golf fees! Fortunately, our follow-up story in today's paper gave the golfers a chance to get their point across.