UPDATE: Proposed parks and rec budget approved by commission

While many city departments are cutting budgets to make up for a struggling sales tax revenue, the Parks and Recreation Department could see a budget increase.

The Columbia Parks and Recreation Commission unanimously approved the department’s proposed fiscal year 2018 budget at its meeting Thursday night.

The total proposed budget comes to about $17.9 million, up from about $17 million in FY17.

Parks and Recreation Director Mike Griggs said the budget is up this year due to some capital improvement projects.

Right now, the department has two capital improvement projects planned for FY18, which include the Sports Field House and extending the Hinkson Creek Trail from Stadium Boulevard to the East Campus Neighborhood.

The department is budgeting $4,745,000 for FY18 capital projects, which makes up about 25 percent of the total budget.

Griggs said the decline in city sales tax has lost Columia an estimated $2.98 million in Park Sales Tax funding over the past 10 years.

Of the total $3,950,000 budget for the field house, $1,570,000 comes from the Park Sales Tax.

“If the park sales tax does not generate what we expect it to, we won’t be doing any of that,” he said.

Griggs said they have had to cut back in other areas of the department, like park mowing, to help with the city’s budget.

“Instead of cutting every week, we went to three weeks and boy did we get a lot of complaints,” he said.”Now we’re mowing about every 10 days now and that seems to be a good balance. Those are some of the decisions that we’re working through as we go forward.”

The proposed budget also includes a $1 increase to golf course fees. All other facility fees stayed the same.

“We’re trying to be a little proactive by raising the fees now before we fall in the hole,” he explained.

The council will approve the final city budget on Sept. 18.