Committee Cuts Parks And Recreation Budget

The Putnam County Budget Committee cut $33,250 from the Parks and Recreation budget Monday.

A majority of that funding would have hired a full-time custodial worker to clean ballpark facility restrooms.

Committee member Jonathan Williams said he would rather see that position hired on a part-time basis.

“Our facilities, as good as they are, are lacking compared to other communities,” Williams said. “If we need an extra body to keep the restrooms clean and make sure they look appealing to other people, I think it’s worth it. If we can’t afford to do a full-time person, maybe we can come up with something part-time where they can work seasonally.”

The committee voted against Williams’ motion to fund a part-time custodial worker. They later approved a motion made by committee member Cindy Adams to remove the position from the upcoming budget proposal.

“It seems to me, that since this is the first time that it’s been brought up, maybe it would be better to just wait for a year,” Adams said. “I hate a dirty restroom, but we’ve got a lot of people being requested and there’s got to be cuts somewhere.”

Committee member Mike Atwood said he had a hard time justifying an $83,850 increase to parks and recreation.

“We’ve got to face the tough cuts here,” Atwood said. “We’ve got how many million dollars worth of requests out there? Even if you cut the new employee, your still looking at a $60,000 increase.”

The committee also voted to cut $10,000 from a proposed $30,000 increase in utilities. With the cuts being made, the total budget for parks and recreation stands at $1.28 million.