McComb Selectwoman Tammy Witherspoon said Tuesday she is rethinking the city’s decision to give the recreation department more high-level employees.
“I’m kind of glad this was put back on the agenda,” Witherspoon said of the proposed positions. “Most of these parks are not even open, and we’re going to put all this money into recreation when only one — the sports park — is actually open and has people there. The others just need maintaining.”
At a Nov. 12 board meeting, selectmen unanimously voted to amend the city charter to include the positions of superintendent, program coordinator, recreation technician and programmer for the recreation department. The programmer job is a filled position that required a title change, but the other three are vacant.
Recreation director Joseph Parker said this morning that the recreation technician position hinges on the hotel/motel tax being renewed in 2014 to renovate many parks around McComb. Without the tax, the position would not be needed since there would be no funds to upgrade the parks.
Since the expansion of the McComb Sports Park in east McComb, Parker and his employees have been working up to 70 hours per week most of the year to cover events at the 11 city-owned facilities.
Parker also is executive director of the Scenic Rivers Alliance, which promotes outdoors recreation in the area.
When the McComb Sports Park expansion was in the planning stages, Parker warned selectmen the department would need additional staffing when the complex expanded from two fields to four.
“Joseph told everybody this, prior to even starting the groundbreaking of this thing — if we build it, they’re going to come,” deputy director Josh Bass said. “You’ve got to maintain it and you’ve got to operate it, and that’s the only way to do it. We’re going to lose employees because they don’t have any time to spend with their families or even go home because they have to work nights and weekends.
“It seems like a lot, but if you spend a spring, summer and now fall with us, you definitely see why we need it.”
Parker said his department has 10 full-time employees and can hire up to 31 part-time workers when needed. Right now, the department has no part-time staffers until the busy season kicks back up in February, running through November.
In 2008, the city made budget cuts across the board, and the recreation department full-time staff numbers dropped from 15 to seven. Since then, Parker has been slowly rebuilding his staff with a goal of 13.
“We have slowly been trying to get back to a level where we can function well and provide a better product for the folks,” he said.
The board has discussed using $50,000 from the department’s special revenue account to cover some of the salaries and use other city funds for the rest. For that to happen, the board must vote to change the official wording describing the account to include salaries, and selectmen will likely vote on that next week.
City administrator Quordiniah Lockley said selectmen also must approve a $70,000 budget amendment for the remainder of the salaries.
“I know we agreed to (add the positions), but whatever he can get out of $50,000 I say that’s what he gets,” Witherspoon said.
Bass said the special revenue funds are mostly used for chemicals, fertilizer and other maintenance-related services to the parks. Using the money for salaries would take away those monies.
The recreation department has tripled its revenue in the last three years, jumping from $50,000 to $150,000 in annual income thanks to the expansions at the sports park. Bass said a 20-team tournament generates about $400,000 around McComb with out-of-town families buying gas, food, lodging and souvenirs.
Selectwoman Andranette Jordan said she understands the need for staffing but doesn’t understand the need to continuously put that much money into one department.
“A lot of money has been put into recreation in the past few years, and it seems like whatever recreation wants, recreation gets,” Jordan said.
Selectman Ted Tullos, who once was the department’s superintendent, defended the additional recreational staffing, he said, because every park needs maintenance and attention, even if there is no full-time staff on the grounds.
“The parks that are considered closed, they’re never really closed,” Tullos said. “You have people checking the children’s playground equipment several times to make sure they’re safe. They’re taking care of spraying for ants. There’s work all the time at all those parks.”
Parker said he was meeting with Lockley and Rawlings today to discuss the positions and how to fund them. No date has been set to vote on the budget amendment.
“When you put 30 ball teams in there, that’s about 700 people,” Bass said. “If we have rentals, and we have an archery tournament and a soccer game going on at the same time, then it really takes more than you think. Those things don’t just happen, and we really do need those people
