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WORLAND — During a sometimes tense meeting Tuesday, Worland city councilors discussed a golf course maintenance contract.

Worland Mayor Dave Duffy said there is a great deal of information being spread throughout the community.

Green Hills Golf Course board member Katelin Vail addressed the council. Vail submitted a letter to the council which addressed a number of concerns, including that the golf pro had been “let go.”

Vail said she was under the impression that the contract between the city and the golf club was in effect through Dec 31.

Duffy said the Dec. 31 date is “grossly incorrect.”

“In June, we met with some folks from the golf club. We came to the agreement that we really needed to review the wording of the contract, how it was done and the timing. At the time, we agreed to extend the contract for that period of time through Dec. 31,” Duffy said, adding that the city agreed to subsidize the golf course through Dec. 31.

Duffy said that on Oct. 14, after “several meetings,” he was informed by the golf course board that if the city wasn’t willing to sign a contract beginning Jan. 1, there would be no money to finish the year.

“They told us unless the city is willing to commit to a contract on Jan. 1 of 2016, at that point, there would be no money left to finish the year in the (bank) account. If we would agree to a commitment to extend that contract beginning Jan. 1 — which we had not yet negotiated —then there were people who were willing to provide $40,000 to see the contract to the completion of the year.

“Without that commitment, they were unwilling to pay because they had been paying $40,000 a year for the last two months of 2014 and 2013. They weren’t willing to do that again because they didn’t get repaid until the city paid again the following January,” Duffy said.

According to the contract, Duffy said, if the golf course board chose to abandon the contract during the golf season, there were contingencies as far as who was at fault. If there was no default, or abandonment, until Oct. 31, there would be no repercussions.

“They chose Oct. 31 as the end date of that contract,” Duffy said.

Duffy said that golf pro Nick Nielson’s contract stipulated that if there is no ongoing contract between the city and the golf club, Nielson’s contract would terminate.

The Northern Wyoming Daily News received an email claiming that Nielson was fired by Duffy.

“He was not let go. He was not fired by me. His contract terminated by written language in the contract. And we actually paid him out of the funds that remained in the account. None of that is reflected in the information you’ve provided the council and has been spread about the community,” Duffy told Vail. He added that Nielson was an employee of the golf course and not an employee of the city.

In her letter, Nielson said she attempted to contact Duffy through the city attorney.

“Is Mr. Richins not the city attorney,” Vail asked.

Duffy replied, “I have a phone number. My number is listed in the directory. If you call the city hall, you get a recorded message that I have an extension you can choose. I have a cell phone that’s plastered on the side of my vehicle.

“You go on to state, that others have tried also to no avail which implies that I’m not easy to get ahold of,” Duffy said.

Richins specified that, in his capacity with the city, he gives legal advice and is not the appropriate person to comment on public relations matters.

The city owns the golf course, but contracts with the golf course club to manage it. Until a contract can be negotiated, the city will manage the course.

“If you put yourself in the position of the city, we end up at the end of October with a golf course to do something with that we didn’t anticipate. And we dealt with the current people who are working with the contract, and believe they had the authority to contract — and tell us there was no contract,” Duffy said.

During a Nov. 17 meeting, councilors rejected a motion to permit Duffy and Richins to negotiate a contract with the golf course club.

Councilor Keith Gentzler asked if the council could request a financial audit from the golf course.

Richins said the city had previously requested an audit, but did not receive any information.

“We haven’t had the information we’ve asked for either,” Richins said, adding that the city is paying to maintain the golf course, despite the golf course club breaching their contract.

In a Nov. 23 meeting, councilors approved negotiating an agreement with Dave Williamson to manage maintenance of the golf course. Williamson had previously managed the course for the golf course club, but his contract terminated along with the golf course club’s.

Richins clarified, “A letter to the editor accuses us of hiring an ‘out of town guy.’ We didn’t hire anybody, and the ‘out of town’ guy was hired by the golf course group, and I’m tired of that being thrown at us. There’s so much misinformation being thrown around, the council is in turmoil over it. I just want to make it clear: We have no contracts right now. We’re looking at entering into contracts, but when you come with a threatening attitude with us, it doesn’t make us want to work with you.”

Worland City Clerk/Treasurer Tracy Glanz said the city paid for November maintenance out of a fund remaining in the golf course club’s account. The city will pay for December maintenance.

The city will continue the search for someone to maintain the golf course.

Duffy said Williamson is still working at the golf course because it needs to be winterized.

“It was my hope that it could be done in a short order once a decision was made. It would still be my preference to just shut the thing down and walk out the door. That would have been the best option, except for the fact that the course had to be winterized and the equipment taken care of,” Duffy said.

“I felt of all the people who had experience with both of those things, and could immediately begin to do those things, Mr. Williamson was most able to do that for the city and protect the assets for the city.”