SUMTER, S.C. — Governor Henry McMaster has released his budget proposal for the 2020-2021 fiscal year, including millions in income tax cuts and one-time rebates for South Carolinians.
Among the items proposed is a $15 million dollar investment into the Sumter Opera House.
The building, built more than a century ago, has become a community destination for shows, concerts and movies.
Staff hope to use the extra funds, in part, to fix walkways, expand the stage and dressing rooms for larger acts and improve seating for people with disabilities.
"A lot of the money's going to be kind of upgrading the existing building as the Sumter Opera House's last renovation was completed in '86," Seth Reimer, the city's cultural manager, said.
Although the funds are just a possibility, Reimer says the city is thankful to be considered.
"It means a lot," Reimer said. "It means that the governor has trust in the citizens of Sumter and the delegates that were talking with him and talking to the team to show them just exactly how important the arts are to the state of South Carolina."
The governor's budget must go through the state House and Senate before approval, which could come early this Summer.
To view the governor's full budget proposal click here.