JOHNSONVILLE — Things are looking slightly up for a financially struggling Florence County city, but it is still fighting to pass a long overdue budget.
Johnsonville, a small municipality with a population of roughly 1,300, has accrued millions of dollars in debt over the years and most recently is struggling to pass its annual budget that should have taken effect July 1.
City Clerk Marlene Rollins announced at the city’s Sept. 1 council meeting that the budget is short $88,525, in part because of its municipal golf course, the Wellman Golf Club.
The city’s accountant, Marc Wood, is “having a hard time budgeting the golf course,” Rollins said at the meeting.
“Once (Wood) adds in the debt that we owe, you either got to come up with some more revenues or you got to cut your expenses,” Rollins said. “So that’s his dilemma. I don’t really know where else you can cut.”
An appraiser is working on finding the value of the golf club before the city makes a decision on if it will be sold, but a site visit has not been conducted yet.
Selling the city’s golf club has been discussed at length and is recommended by Wood to help Johnsonville get a hold on its debt, much of which is coming from its large city hall.
The $2 million, 2,500-square-foot building now hosts two employees, though it has half a dozen offices and a council chambers with the capacity to hold more than 100 people.
The city was struggling to make payments on the city hall soon after its construction and Florence County stepped in with assistance.
The building may be taken over by Florence County in the future, though an official vote on the matter has been deferred repeatedly at County Council meetings.
Wood also proposed abolishing the Johnsonville Police Department and outsourcing policing from the county sheriff’s office to save money. The city accepted that proposal after the three members of Johnsonville’s police department all resigned at a council meeting after being denied raises. The change has saved the city roughly $500,000.
Still, Johnsonville is lacking a balanced budget. City officials were originally aiming for a budget to be passed in September, but the timeline has now shifted.
“We really need to have this budget done before November,” Rollins said at the city’s monthly council meeting.
A public hearing and two readings will need to be passed before a proposed budget can be approved.
The city will be hosting its second budget workshop Sept. 10 at 6 p.m. inside city hall. Its first budget workshop was Aug. 11.
The city recently completed its 2024 audit, which will free up about $230,000 that was being withheld by the state. The state can withhold monies for cities that fail to do complete statutory audits.
Johnsonville should have the money in a week, according to Rollins.
Also within a week, Johnsonville should begin working on its delinquent 2025 audit, Rollins said.