Commission postpones decision on golf course purchase

Commissioners said they are not convinced the RSCVA is the legitimate owner of the Northgate and Wildcreek golf courses. They extended a decision deadline into June.

Reno activist Sam Dehne raised the issue of who currently owns the golf courses. Since the county collects taxes used by RSCVA to pay for operating the courses, Dehne argued, the county is already a co-owner of the golf courses.

After consulting with Assistant District Attorney Madelyn Shipman, commissioners discovered that the county is a cosigner on the golf courses' titles. Depending on interpretation of state law, the county may already be considered the legitimate owner of the property.

Washoe County is not the only area government entity considering the purchase of the RSCVA golf courses. The cities of Sparks and Reno have shown interest in buying the courses from the RSCVA. Whoever owns these courses could benefit financially if land included in the purchase adjacent to the golf courses is sold for building expensive homes.

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