Des Moines City Council approves 15-year golf contract with no public bid
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Waveland Golf Course. Photo: Courtesy of city of Des Moines
After some Des Moines residents said they felt left in the dark about the decision to light Waveland Golf Course, they are questioning the city's choice to enter into a 15-year contract with Des Moines' longtime golf course management partner without a public bid.
Why it matters: The city has not put its golf course management contract out for public bid in nearly 20 years, and the new agreement locks in C Corporation through at least 2040 to manage and generate revenue from Waveland, Blank and Grandview golf courses.
Driving the news: On Dec. 22, 2025, the Des Moines City Council approved a consolidated management agreement with C Corp and granted an exception to the city's standard competitive procurement ordinance, citing "good cause."
- The agreement runs through Dec. 31, 2040, with two optional five-year renewal periods that could extend it to 2050.
- Previously, the city had two separate contracts to manage Waveland and the Blank and Grandview courses.
State of play: Des Moines Parks and Recreation Director Ben Page says he recommended not going to a public bid for the golf courses because the city has had a decades-long positive experience with C Corp, and the financial terms are favorable to taxpayers.
- With the new agreement, the city will gain nearly $1.2 million annually in contributions from its golf courses.
- Water costs, averaging $219,000 annually and paid entirely by the city, will be incrementally transferred to C Corp.
- The city will earn 11% of net revenues across all three courses, plus 3% on merchandise.
What they're saying: Page says no competitors have expressed interest in managing the golf courses, though they have not been up for public bid in 20 years.
- He says national operators who may be interested in managing the golf courses don't typically also offer capital improvement projects, like C Corp promises.
The other side: Rocky Sposato, president of Terrace Hills Golf Course, says he would have bid on a contract to manage the golf courses.
- "Whether I would have won is exactly what a competitive process determines," he tells Axios.
Molly Berggren, a Waveland neighborhood resident, previously told Axios that it didn't feel like the city had done its due diligence.
- "I think that there is a lack of transparency," Berggren said.
The big picture: C Corp, owned by the Chiodo family, has long operated the city's golf courses.
- In 2006, the city agreed to a no-bid contract for the Blank golf course with the late Ned Chiodo, noting an average annual loss of $70,000 before then, per Register archives.
- In 2008, C Corp won competitive bids to manage Grandview and Waveland.
- C Corp did not respond to Axios' requests for comment.
What's next: The City Council may still need to approve a separate agreement between C Corp and Musco Lighting for the details surrounding the Waveland lighting project.
- Page says the project is moving forward and installation is expected to begin sometime this spring.