RICHLAND COUNTY, S.C. — The Richland County Recreation Commission approved its $21.9 million budget on Thursday night.
According to the commission, Richland County residents' taxes will not change, and major capital improvement projects like the Hopkins pool will be prioritized.
According to Commission Chairman Rob Lapin, this is the first year the Richland County Recreation Commission has received the total amount requested in their budget from the county, $21.9 million.
Because of that, in this new budget cycle, recreation officials can focus on employee pay raises and improving Richland County parks.
"Hopkins pool was a major emphasis. We have our Friarsgate park. I believe that we're spending a lot of money on trying to get the fields fixed up there. We're constantly fixing problems from the past, just cause our parks are aging," Lapin said.
Recreation Commission Executive Director Taurus Lewis said that even though inflation is impacting the cost of fertilizer and employee benefits, their department could keep the same property tax rate as last year: 15 mils.
"Each department met individually with the [Chief Financial Officer] CFO and myself. We broke down, we prioritized things that we needed, not what we wanted," Lewis said.
Commission CFO Ryan Inzana said the millage stayed the same this year because the department paid off existing debt but wanted to balance the operating budget so there would be no big spike next fiscal year.
"There was a one time adjustment made to our debt service millage, reducing it by two mils and we asked for a corresponding adjustment to our operating budget, to increase that by two mils. It essentially offsets, so total millage does not change," Inzana said.
Kids like Taniyah Jenkins, a double Dutch jump roper, need these parks.
"The park is where we learn and our coaches help us, teach stuff," Jenkins said.
Light poles, security upgrades, new heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems, and updated playground equipment can be priorities to keep these kids and adults enjoying outdoor spaces.
According to the commission, this new budget goes into effect Monday.