Lower Richland foundation with controversial finances could get $150,000 county grant

A nonprofit with a controversial spending history could get $150,000 in Richland County tax dollars meant for tourism promotion for the upcoming year.

At the request of Richland County Councilman Norman Jackson, and with tentative approval from the majority of his colleagues, the Pinewood Lake Park Foundation is on tap for a $150,000 hospitality tax grant.

County Council recently asked the State Law Enforcement Division to investigate Jackson for claims that he has bullied and pressured county staff to pay the foundation for what staff members say are improperly documented expenses.

Last Thursday, at the second approval of Richland County's 2018-19 budget, Jackson proposed the $150,000 grant for the foundation.

"I do it every year," Jackson told his fellow council members when he proposed the grant. He added that the foundation would submit "a plan of events" for the park before it received the funding.

The Pinewood Lake Park Foundation was stripped of its management responsibilities at the park in 2017, when the Richland County Conservation Commission took over management.

The Conservation Commission indicated it could work with the foundation to help staff the park with volunteers and coordinate park events such as bingo nights, a summer Wet and Wild event, a Halloween horror trail and a Christmas lights event, all funded in part by hospitality tax dollars, which are meant to promote tourism activities.

But according to the Conservation Commission, the foundation refused to sign an agreement outlining its role at the park.

In a recent memo to County Council, the Conservation Commission said it has had ongoing concerns about the foundation's financial responsibility, particularly concerning hospitality taxes.

County staff members have shared concerns about the foundation's expenses, including $500 a week for unauthorized bathroom cleanings and expenses ranging from decorations to food to computer usage that do not qualify for hospitality tax use, according to county staff. Staff members also questioned the foundation's apparent lack of competitive price shopping and use of a single business, Perfect Choice Promotion, for many tasks.

The foundation's rocky financial history gave some County Council members pause.

"They have, the way I understand it, refused to show up at the table ... and have been given many, many opportunities," Councilman Bill Malinowski told The State. Malinowski was one of two council members, along with Seth Rose, to oppose the grant to the foundation. "When you've been told you're not doing it right, but yet you keep insisting 'we have to have our money' and you don't do it right, I think you need to get on board with following the rules."

"Every year, this funding request is an issue that gets worse," Rose told The State. "Not only is council not fixing the problem that exists, but they continue to allocate even more tax dollars to an entity that has a lengthy history of accountability problems."

Seven council members voted in favor of the grant for the foundation: Joyce Dickerson, Chip Jackson, Norman Jackson, Gwen Kennedy, Paul Livingston, Yvonne McBride and Dalhi Myers. Councilman Jim Manning did not vote, and Councilman Greg Pearce was not present.

"I'm in support of providing the funds to do a better job than we've done promoting that underutilized and under-advertised facility down there," Councilman Chip Jackson said at Thursday's meeting.

Even if the foundation is granted the $150,000, that money will not be paid if proper documentation is not provided, Myers told her colleagues at the meeting.

"We all know that this park, we've perennially had problems with it," Myers said. "But if we're requiring them to execute a contract and provide to our staff documents for approval before funds are released, it's important that any space in this county that bears Richland County's name be treated like other spaces and that it be done right."

Changes could still be made to the funding proposal before County Council takes a final vote this Thursday to approve the foundation's grant and the entire 2018-19 county budget.

Norman Jackson has championed the Pinewood Lake Park project for the better part of a decade, since he began encouraging the county to buy a swath of land at Pinewood Lake, sometimes known as Caughman Pond, off Old Garners Ferry Road in Jackson's Lower Richland district. Anchored by the lake, the park features walking trails, several picnic shelters, an office and bathrooms.

Despite county staff's ongoing concerns about the foundation's financial responsibility, the foundation has secured tens of thousands of dollars each year in hospitality tax grants from County Council, mostly at the behest of Jackson. For the current year that started July 1, 2017, the foundation was awarded at least $83,000 in hospitality tax grants.

But because the foundation lacked proper documentation for many of its expenditures, County Council recently approved paying it only $12,175.92 for expenses staff deemed compliant with county standards.

Assistant county administrator Sandra Yudice and former county administrator Gerald Seals have accused Jackson of pressuring county staff to pay invoices from the foundation that, they said, would violate county policies and the law. Those accusations prompted County Council to ask SLED to investigate Jackson.

Jackson has said those accusations are part of a "slander campaign" by a "disgruntled" Seals.

Jackson, who was running for re-election for his District 11 council seat, was ousted in the recent Democratic primary election by newcomer Chakisse Newton. Newton will face Republican challenger Zoe Pruitt in the November general election for the chance to fill the seat Jackson has held since 2007.

This story was originally published June 18, 2018 at 4:52 PM with the headline "Lower Richland foundation with controversial finances could get $150,000 county grant."