Due to the loss of inmate labor, Parks and Recreation is asking for an additional $27,000 each from the city and the county.
Mayor Diane Delaware says the county needs to pay the entire cost because the city is already contributing more.
“We provide two and a half mills to the parks, and the county provides 0.33,” Delaware said. “I would say that perhaps the funds should come from the organization that is providing 0.33 mills. You have a partner that is not supporting you to the level that it can. What we want you to do is to go to that party and get some more.”
Henry Campbell, director of Parks and Recreation, said costs have increased greatly since the Mississippi Department of Corrections closed the Yazoo City’s work center that provided inmate labor. Part time employees have been hired to fill the void.
“We’ve got to have people to take care of these parks,” Campbell said. “The inmates are gone.”
Campbell said he plans to ask the county for $27,000 at the next board of supervisors meeting.
“If they don’t want to do it, don’t complain about the parks,” Campbell said.
Campbell said adding additional programs to the park is currently out of the question because it’s difficult to maintain what already exists.
“We can’t add anything right now because we wouldn’t be able to take care of it,” Campbell said.
Gary Haymer, president of the Parks and Recreation Board said it’s unfair to compare the current program to what the city had years ago because there used to be more employees to maintain less parks.
“We’re not blaming anybody, but we don’t want anybody to blame us either,” Haymer said.
“We’re doing the best we can.”
Ward 2 Alderman Dr. Jack Varner criticized the fact that the pool at the complex loses so much money.
“I’m not talking about making money, but losing 75 percent means you either need to cut your expenses or raise your fees,” Varner said.
Delaware said that pools lose money across the country, which is why most parks are now using splash pads rather than pools.
Campbell said the pool is important because it keeps children from doing dangerous things like swimming in drainage ditches.
When asked about how many kids use the complex, during the meeting Campbell said 2,000 kids and approximately 90 percent county residents. He later corrected that statement after the meeting, stating that he was caught off guard by the question during the meeting. There are less than 500 total participants in the local baseball leagues, and many of those teams do not play at the complex.
In a later interview with The Herald, Campbell said he hopes the county will agree to give $27,000.
“I don’t know what we will do if we don’t have the manpower to maintain the parks,” Campbell said.
