Rockingham Parks and Rec. suffers $48,000 loss

While Richmond County’s passage of its $74 million, 2024-2025 budget seemed a moment of triumph for county commissioners, it provided a moment of panic for the Rockingham City Council Tuesday.

While discussing the Rockingham 2024-2025 budget, Rockingham City Manager Monty Crump said although it is true the county will add a 50 percent increase to its contribution to multiple municipal parks and recreation departments, its decision not to renew reallocating a portion of a 4-cent sales tax will leave the Rockingham Parks and Recreation Department in a $220,788 deficit.

“Prior to this year, we received $252,000 annually in sales tax replacement, and in addition to that $63,788 dollars for recreation for a total of $315,788 we receive from the county to put towards providing recreation,” Crump said. “Of course, our recreation is basically open registration. Seventy percent of our participants in our recreation program are non-city or county residents. Take out capital outlay, and that figure $315,788 roughly provides about 50 percent of our annual budget. Which, if you take that capital for next year, you’d be somewhere around $550,000.”

Last month, while discussing the 2024-2025 city budget, Crump recommended reducing a property tax rate increase from 58 cents per $100 of valuated property to 53 cents. To retain parks and recreation services, Crump recommended nixing the reduction to 55 cents, but that still leaves the Rockingham Parks and Rec. Department with a $48,000 shortfall.

“That would provide an additional $172,000 in new revenue, give us a shortfall of $48,788, but that’s a lot easier to make up … After July 1 (the council) will take a look at recreation and make decisions about what participation levels will be now going forward with non-city residents,” Crump said.

Crump said he felt blindsided by the cut. Months before the county budget’s passage, Rockingham Finance Director Jennifer Lambeth reached out to county officials to see if there was anything they needed regarding their parks and recreation funding request. Councilman Bennett Deane said with the cuts in place, the parks and rec. department’s funding now reverts to the same level it operated on in the 1980s, but not adjusted for inflation.

“In 1984, the county overnight went out of the recreation business and turned it over to the cities. We got in 1984 and the annual budget for recreation that year was $90,000. Today, it’s $800,000 with capital. As the budget grew, that got to $63,788. How many is that 30 years later, 40 years later?” Crump said.

Deane chastised the county’s move, which he said penalizes those who utilize the recreation department. He added the city may have to consider a fee for those living outside of Rockingham city limits.

“We want it open, but it’s not fair for the citizens of Rockingham to subsidize recreation for the whole county,” Deane said.

Crump estimated the city recreation department recoups 25 percent of its expenses related to children’s programs and 50 percent for adult programs. By creating out-of-town fees, he hopes it will not discourage out-of-town participants or make it too expensive for financially at-risk families to participate.

“There is a point it comes cost-prohibitive to try and make up that on the backs of children, and their families. They have all of the other worries and concerns with making the household budget,” Crump said.

Rockingham Mayor John Hutchinson said he found it especially galling considering how many county programs the city subsidizes at no cost to county residents.

“Not to get deep into the weeds, but I think it’s worth pointing out we pay for a lot of county services that we don’t use whatsoever. We provide backup support for the sheriff’s department if need be. We subsidize the county’s law enforcement. We subsidize the county’s fire departments that do not the citizens of Rockingham. You would think the county would try to even it out, but it is what it is,” Hutchinson said.