By Betsy Finklea
The Dillon City Council took up a number of matters at their March meeting.
In the mayor’s report, Mayor Todd Davis said there had been a big improvement at the sports complex. There is a new walkway, and four new scoreboards on all four fields were being installed. The restrooms were being rehabbed. They hope to have the work finished by April 1st.
Davis also spoke on downtown revitalization. He said the Zoning Board had passed the preservation tax incentive, which he called one of the legs of the stool on the whole project, but a very important part. He didn’t think it would be beneficial to outside sources to come in and invest on Main Street without it.
Davis requested to be able to name the Downtown Revitalization Committee. There was discussion on this. He said he would like every council member to also be a part of the committee if they would like. Davis said this committee would make plans for downtown. Councilman Johnny Eller asked if somebody wanted to be on the committee how could they get on the committee because he didn’t want anyone to be left out.
Davis said he was limiting this to 10-11 members, but if somebody expressed an interest he was sure they could make room for them. He said this was simply to speed up the process. He said he had no problem with a council member appointing someone; they would just have to let him know.
“I’m ready to go on this I think the people are ready to go. They are ready to see something starting on downtown,” said Davis. The people he has listed are eager to serve.
Councilman John Braddy said he would personally like to see Davis be able to get started. He said he would like to begin the process of getting the committee together and working.
Councilman Phil Wallace said with the inland port, etc., things were going to move fast and if they were not ready, they were going to miss out on a lot of opportunity and he didn’t think the council would want to miss out.
Davis named the people he would like to appoint the committee. They are Steve Johnson, Lynn Carr, Rhett Tompkins, Jonathan McLeod, Sally McIntyre, Michelle Britt, Stephanie Mitchell, Jackie Thomas, and Howard Nettles, who helped Hartsville on their downtown revitalization efforts. Braddy said this was a great group.
Braddy made a motion to accept this as the committee and add additional members as needed including council members. Wallace seconded the motion. The motion was approved.
Davis read a resolution proclaiming Sunshine Week in the City of Dillon.
City Manager Glen Wagner then gave his report.
Wagner said on East Main Street they had hired a contractor, Jonathan McLeod, to put up a safety barrier in front of the building where the windows were falling out. He said they had concerns with things falling out and possibly hitting someone and what their liability would be since they condemned the building. He said it cost less than $700.
It was noted that a property owner on Main Street had contacted the city about getting someone to paint the outside of his buildings.
He said the new equipment was in place and the changes were made that had been previously discussed at the Wellness Center. He said everybody loves it. He said the equipment that was torn up had been taken care of.
Wagner briefly discussed state retirement and the impact on their budget.
Also, Chief David Lane introduced some of his officers to council, which he has been doing each month.
The next topic that Wagner discussed was the proposed golf course rates. Wagner said he looked at the history of the golf course for the past three and a half years. He took the year from July 1, 2015 to June 30, 2016 and looked at the rounds for each category. He said if they increased the rates by $3 for members to play they are talking about $22,000 in new revenue based on the rounds played from July 1, 2015 to June 30, 2016.
Rates for members to play would increase from $15 to $18. He said for all day play it is currently $15 for 18 holes plus five dollars. He proposes increasing that to $10. The biggest playing group is seniors. He proposes increasing that rate from $12 to $15.
He said doing the same thing for non-members based on the same information and increasing everything by $3; it would bring in an additional $20,000 in new revenue. He said there is potential for $40,000 in new revenue.
He said the closest course is Fairmont. Their rates are $16 for members, $24 for non-members Monday-Thursday and $27 on the weekend.
Wallace said you will see a little drop when it happens. He said golf is expensive to keep open and they’re doing their best at that. Braddy said any decrease may be offset by the closing of Dusty Hills in Marion.
Wagner said they have had the best February that they have had, but it has also been the best weather during the same time period.
The new rates would start April 1st.
Davis said he thought this was a minimum. Braddy said it was still cheap. Wallace said he didn’t want to run off potential growth either, but he thought that what they were proposing was fine. He said they need to go up a little at a time.
Davis said if you go up you see who really wants to be a member. Wagner said that was his goal to see interest and need with about 15 months before the lease expires.
Braddy mad a motion to increase the rates seconded by Wallace. All present voted in favor with the exception of Eller who opposed the motion.
In council reports, Eller said the Smiths from the Boys and Girls Youth Center had asked for $5,000 per year for five years. The county gave them $5,000. He made a motion to give $5,000 and look at it the following year. Davis said he was not comfortable personally doing this without seeing a plan, and he has not seen it. There was discussion, and Eller withdrew his motion until next month’s meeting.
Eller then talked about police salaries. He asked if there was a pay grade or pay band. There is not. He said since promotions are few and far between that there should be some way for the officers to get raises unless the city gives a cost of living raise. He said that maybe they should put something in place. He said he would like to see the look on that.
Eller then moved on to the golf course. He said even though this February was their best one, the golf course still lost $10,000.
Eller said the golf course is a big hot button issue right now. He said he explained it in detail at last month’s meeting. He said he knew that Dr. Wallace was going to come back and say it was not taxpayers’ dollars. He said when you buy food you are taxed and that money goes to the golf course. It is a hospitality tax.
Braddy spoke about the inland port groundbreaking and is going to be a game changer for Dillon. He said it was not the port that was going to bring the jobs, but all of the industries and businesses that were going to follow the port here that were bringing the opportunity. He applauded Davis for his efforts to get downtown started. Braddy said to recruit these people here, there had to be quality of life things for people to do. He said they have the Wellness Center. He said most of them are looking for golf courses, ball fields, things for their kids to do, good schools, etc. He said some of those things they can’t control, but some of those things they can control and quality of life is something they can control. Braddy said they were not going to make money on any ball field in Dillon. He said they went into the Wellness Center knowing they probably wouldn’t make money. He said the police department doesn’t make money.
Braddy said the golf course is a long way from making money. He said it was vitally important that we have that type of thing in Dillon for people to do and they had to find a way to make it work.
Davis said they committed five years to the golf course, and he was going to hold to commitment.
Wallace said he wanted to start on a positive note. He talked about the Father-Daughter Dance and said over 900 tickets were sold. He said it didn’t matter who you were or what color you were, everyone had a good time. He said you know when you do something like that as a city you are doing something right.
He said you go to the golf course on a summer day or a Sunday at 6:00, music is still at the pool, the parking lot is half full and people are having a good time.
He said these are quality of life issues. He said to address the two percent that it costs; he looked at Eller and asked him if he had done the math. He asked if he understood the math on that. Eller told him to tell him the math. Wallace said he wanted Eller to tell him because he said those people funded the golf course. Eller said he was telling him they had lost $200,000. Wallace said he was going to tell him what the facts are. Eller asked what the facts are.
Wallace said $600,000 is what they get from the hospitality tax not meals tax in a year. He said the people of Dillon are out that money. Wallace said that is $30 million in hamburgers and hotdogs. He asked if he thought the people of Dillon spent $30 million in hamburgers and hotdogs.
Eller said the City of Dillon government lost $200,000 at the golf course in hospitality funds.
Wallace said about $400,000 goes toward the Wellness Center and about $150,000 supplements the golf course. He asked what else they can do with that money. Eller said they could beautify Main Street. Wallace said they can’t. Wagner said they can’t do anything on the private side, but only on the public side.
Wallace said a few years ago they spent $2.7 million. Eller said look at it, it’s a mess.
Wallace said if the city wants to walk away from the hot meals tax because they don’t have a place to spend it, then they could go ahead and get rid of the fitness center, the Father-Daughter Dance, the golf course, and see how long they continue to grow. He said they commit as a city council to create a quality of life. He said they do with the police force, and the fire department. He said we don’t make money on them. Do we get rid of them too, he asked.
Eller said you can’t even give the police officers a raise Dr. Wallace. Wallace said he was just telling him. Eller said I am telling you that I made a motion to give the police officers a raise and they can’t do that. Wallace asked when he did it. Eller said in May before the budget hearing. Wallace said it was at the time of the final budget approval. Eller said they are losing that kind of money and can’t give the police officers a raise.
Wallace said they are not losing money if they don’t use the money… Eller cut him off saying that they are losing money. He said the City of Dillon government should not be involved in a golf course losing that kind of money. Wallace asked about the Wellness Center. Eller said the Wellness Center is a different beast because it serves a conglomerate of people from 5 to 95. He said it doesn’t serve that one percent special interest group. Eller said he can’t afford to play at the golf course. He said you just raised the rates. Wallace told Eller to go out there, and he would pay. Eller said he didn’t want him to pay.
Wallace said they have $550,000 to $600,000 that comes into this city that is probably 95% outside of Dillon money that comes in right there on 95. He said if they were going to walk away from that investment in their community then they should get rid of the golf course and the fitness center because that is about the only place they can use it.
Eller said they could use that money to add on to the Wellness Center. He asked if he wanted a pool out there.
Wallace said the $600,000 is over a four-year period of time.
Wallace said that Dillon has to create a product and that is a good quality of living.
He discussed a visit to Wyman-Gordon and their impression of Dillon. He said we are not going to get any better if we get rid of things that create quality of life.
Councilwoman Connie Manning told the mayor that she appreciated him starting the downtown revitalization. She also asked about a water drain.
