Morris County Parks Laying Off 36 Golf Course Staffers, Moving to Outside Management

The Morris County Park Commission said a failure to hit revenue projections is the reason behind its decision to lay off 36 employees at its golf courses and to hire outside firms to operate the courses, the Daily Record reported. The workers received notices Thursday indicating that they will be laid off as of Dec. 1.

Commission Executive Director David Helmer said the parks department has spent three years working to cut costs and that the only area available to them for reductions is personnel. The official said his recommendation was made after studying the proposed 2014 operating budget (47 percent of revenue comes through revenue streams; 53 percent through taxpayer dollars, the Record reported) and the courses' revenue projections.

Helmer said the success of Jefferson Township's Berkshire Valley Golf Course, which already is being run by the private company Billy Casper Golf, convinced the Park Commission to move forward with making similar moves at the other courses: Flanders Valley, Sunset Valley and Pinch Brook.  The article said a request for proposals should be issued soon. 

Helmer said the transition will be seamless and prices will not rise.