Council adopts budget amendment establishing sports tourism fund, appropriates occupancy-tax reserves

Greenville — The City Council voted 6-0 on Jan. 5 to adopt Budget Ordinance Amendment No. 6, which amends multiple city funds and establishes a Sports Tourism and Complex enterprise fund, Chief Financial Officer Jacob Joyner said.

Joyner said the amendment increases the General Fund by $66,000 and the engineering capital project fund by $330,000. He said the Trafalgar Drive/Colbert project will add $519,890 to the enterprise capital project fund and that the community pathways project would be funded about 80% by state sources. As part of the amendment, the city will appropriate $500,000 of occupancy-tax reserves as initial funding for the new Sports Tourism and Complex enterprise fund; Joyner said the expectation is that the fund will be self-supporting over time through fees generated by the complex. The amendment also includes funding for six full-time positions to operate the complex and a $450,000 appropriation for fire-rescue equipment.

Joyner presented the ordinance as bringing the citywide operating budget to about $203.7 million. Councilor Scully moved to approve the ordinance, seconded by Mayor Pro Tem Foreman; the motion passed 6-0.

Staff characterized the sports tourism fund as an enterprise fund intended to recover operating costs through user fees over time; council did not take additional action on specific sports complex contracts during the Jan. 5 meeting.