Fort Mill, Tega Cay could get more recreation money from York County

Fort Mill and Tega Cay could see a boost in recreation funding not just for 2016, but for years to come.

York County Council will vote Oct. 5 on how to spend recreation tax dollars. A new formula to divvy the annual $1.1 million would more than double the share that goes to Fort Mill and Tega Cay. Both communities received $69,771 from the county in 2015. The new formula would increase the amounts to $153,536.50 in Tega Cay and $149,166.50 in Fort Mill.

The county also put $597,600 into recreation from the general fund for 2016, bringing totals to $221,515.50 in Tega Cay and $215,116.50 in Fort Mill.

County recreation money helps offset municipal parks and recreation departments, which serve people in unincorporated areas as well as within their own limits. The new formula accounts for municipal and unincorporated population, the number of people using local recreation departments and other factors.

Base funding would increase 120 percent in Tega Cay and 114 percent in Fort Mill. The only other increase would be Rock Hill, at 8.5 percent.

York’s share would drop almost 33 percent, and Clover’s by almost 17 percent. Hickory Grove, McConnells, Sharon and Smyrna all would decrease more than 28 percent. Overall, 2016 funding in those communities would increase, thanks to the general fund contribution.

In recent months, the Fort Mill share of county funding has been a concern given high recreation participation rates from outside town limits. The town brought in a consultant to identify recreation needs, outlined potential uses for recreation space donated as part of the Waterside on the Catawba subdivision and received a funding source through new development impact fees.

The town requested more money from the county, saying past contributions didn’t cover costs from serving county residents and that data used to distribute money was outdated given a rapid population increase. Part of the new formula is a more regular update.

“We plan to update the variables annually going forward,” said Beth Latham, county finance director.

The county doesn’t have a parks and recreation department. Council members say repeatedly at public meetings that the county doesn’t want to start one. Councilman Bruce Henderson, who has allocation concerns in his district where unincorporated Lake Wylie only gets money through Clover despite having more people, said the recreation allocation is a good compromise, as long as it’s fair.

“It is designed to help as many people in the unincorporated areas as possible,” Henderson said.

Brown Simpson, parks and recreation director in Fort Mill, said the new formula is a step in the right direction.

“It’s good news for us,” he said. “It helps subsidize some of the costs of serving people who live outside the town.”

Apart from Catawba Nuclear Station revenue, the Fort Mill School District has the highest percentage of unincorporated tax base in the county. Fort Mill and Tega Cay serve about 28 percent of all unincorporated area youth who participate in recreation programs, and 15 percent of the adults. Simpson said updated figures are a better way of allocating money than using a formula from a decade ago.

“Things have changed a lot in 10 years,” he said.

With growth projected at equal or higher rates in coming years, Simpson said the annual update is an important part of the process. A decade from now, the current data could be obsolete.

“It’s a good idea that the county does re-look at this every year,” Simpson said. “It’s not going to stop. It’s going to continue to grow.”

This story was originally published October 2, 2015 at 4:23 PM with the headline "Fort Mill, Tega Cay could get more recreation money from York County."