Rec Plex hasn't been as much of a popular place as when it was first opened. With the costs of keeping it up with low turnout rates, it continues to drive up the debt.
As for the Flint Hills Golf Course, it may be similar to the Rec Plex's issue only they are limited to warmer seasons and only one specific activity: golf. Not only that, their prices for seasonal and individual plays are outrageous.
As for the Vision Iowa Improvement, that ties together for projects such as The Burlington Public Library, Burlington Bees Community Field, Burlington Memorial Auditorium, Flint River Trail (big joke), Des Moines County Heritage Center, and Big Hollow Nature Center. While most of these are good to bring tourism, its costing taxpayers plenty of money that isn't generating enough revenue. While there were talks about cutting a small bit of funding for the library and reducing the number of employees working at the auditorium, there is still a great deal of debt that wouldn't be addressed like it should have been addressed decades ago.
Don't get me started with the 3% franchise fee.