Richland County Recreation Commission seeks look‑back millage to reach 15.4 mills for capital needs

The Richland County Recreation Commission told council it needs more funding to address deferred maintenance and capital projects across 51 facilities. The commission's presenter said the commission manages parks and recreation services for unincorporated Richland County and requested authority to maximize Act 3‑88 look‑back adjustments and current year authorizations to reach an estimated 15.4 mills from the current 12.5.

The presenter outlined immediate capital priorities including parking lot and roof work, HVAC replacements, and larger projects such as Trenholm Park renovations and several park building projects; the commission estimated immediate capital needs at roughly $60–$70 million and said it would like a recurring compensation study request of about $1,000,000 per year to bring staff pay closer to market.

District Attorney Lawrence Flynn explained the legal mechanics: the special‑purpose district's statutory cap dates to its creation and a late‑1990s lawsuit froze historic millage absent a referendum. Under Act 3‑88, a jurisdiction may increase millage by CPI plus population growth and can also look back up to three prior years of unused capacity; Flynn said that calculation could allow an additional roughly 2.9 mills on top of the current 12.5 to reach 15.4, subject to auditor confirmation. "That is the absolute maximum that we have calculated subject to confirmation from the auditor's office," Flynn said.

Council asked staff to compute the taxpayer impact if the commission received the full requested increase; staff said the auditor's office could provide that calculation. Council discussed closer collaboration with the commission during the county's comprehensive planning and master planning processes.

What happens next: the auditor's office will provide tax‑impact modeling and staff will relay that figure to council before final budget decisions. The commission also asked for future consideration of GO bonds to fund large projects.