news-record.com

GREENSBORO — You might spend $35 or more per day to check out the action at the Wyndham Championship.

For the city of Greensboro, the price tag for the area’s premier sporting event is considerably higher. This year’s tournament will cost an estimated $111,900 in donated city services, like police officers’ time.

Last year, the price tag was even higher. The Wyndham cost the city about $250,000 for police alone.

Local leaders say the city’s contribution to the tournament and events like it are worth the expense — based on what they bring the community in quality of life, prestige and economic impact.

“This is an opportunity for the Triad to get together for our only major-league sporting event. ...There is no better expenditure than money spent on the Wyndham Championship,” said Councilman Mike Barber , who is a tournament volunteer.

But at least one council member has asked the city to be mindful of what it spends.

Every year, the city spends hundreds of thousands of dollars in both in-kind and direct donations to community events, ranging from the Eastern Music Festival to parades.

Some of the events are sponsored with cash donations, like the Fun Fourth celebration, which received $20,000 from the city this year.

City departments also absorb the cost of events.

Earlier this year, Councilwoman Trudy Wade asked the city staff to determine what was being spent for city-sponsored events. She said the city’s budget didn’t adequately reflect the actual costs to the city.

“In this economic time, we should have some idea of the benefit of the taxpayers’ spending money,” she said. “After a while, it could get out of kilter if you don’t check.”

The staff determined that nine city-sponsored events cost city departments $444,192 in personnel and other operational expenses.

That expense of city time is more pronounced recently, as the city budgets and staff sizes are shrinking.

“As we start cutting programs, it becomes harder and harder to do things like this,” said Mary Vigue , the city budget management analyst who reviewed the costs for the City Council earlier this year.

Despite the costs, the events also benefit the greater community both financially and in less tangible ways.

“It is part of having a vibrant community,” said Scott Johnson , who helps coordinate events for the city.

Major events, like the golf tournament and N.C. A&T’s homecoming, have a potential to bring millions into the local economy, analysts have said.

The golf tournament, which lured 80,000 fans to Sedgefield Country Club last year, provides $30 million in economic impact, according to an analysis done by the PGA.

Other benefits — like an increased sense of community or building Greensboro’s reputation — are harder to measure, local leaders said.

Greensboro, for instance, will be in the national spotlight this weekend, as the tournament airs live on CBS.

“It’s hard to put a value on that,” said John Shoffner , Greensboro’s economic development program manager.

Contact Amanda Lehmert at 373-7075 or amanda. lehmert@news-record.com