SALISBURY – A shortfall in the Wicomico Youth & Civic Center budget highlighted a meeting with county officials last week.
In an open work session last week, representatives with Wicomico County Recreation, Parks and Tourism met with the Wicomico County Council to discuss the fiscal year 2020 budget for the Wicomico Youth & Civic Center.
“I’m here this morning to talk about some revenue challenges that we’re facing at the civic center this year and how we anticipate a shortfall in this year’s budget with respect to revenue,” Recreation, Parks and Tourism Director Steve Miller said.
Each year, the civic center – which operates under the umbrella of the county’s recreation, parks and tourism department – receives appropriations from the county to fund salaries, benefits and other expenses and to balance the budget. As a special government fund, the facility also relies heavily on event revenue to make the overall budget work.
More
DelMarVa's Premier Source for News, Opinion, Analysis, and Human Interest Contact Publisher Joe Albero at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com or 410-430-5349
49 comments:
Every, EVERY TAXPAYER should ride by that place and see for themselves what kind of quality effort they're getting and just how bad that place looks. Do it on a sunny day. The employees will be sitting around, 3 or four deep chatting or texting on their cell phones.
And what of all that promised alcohol sales revenue?
Let the private sector fund the civic center. Rename like they do for the stadiums and other civic centers like M & T Bank and Royal Farms Arena.
I don’t often go to the civic center but this article talks about employee benefits.
I have been to the dog show the last three years and the employees working in the food service area are competent and the lady who appeared to be in charge was on the ball.
However the crew setting up and breaking down the show rings was a whole different story. The older men were doing the work in half the time as the younger men. The younger men were too busy looking at their cell phones.
Maybe there needs to be less people being paid to do half the work and therefore not as much money would be needed for benefits.
I hate to bring this up, but I've heard for decades about the wonderful salaries that Gary Mackes, et al were bringing home.
If that can't operate as a stand-alone business, it shouldn't exist.
I dont think any government employees should be getting paychecks right now, from bottom to top including congress. There is no tax revenue coming in to replace it and if they think their going to to double down on our backs...ya cant get blood from a turnip....
I attended a play there and the seating was awful, the view was a joke, the place was a dump and what they are bringing in is not worth attending.
Have not been back.
Maybe they should be holding more community events to bring people in instead of whining.
Cushy job, high pay, why bust your a$$?
I could see this closing, just like the zoo. Salisbury in transforming into a low rent type of town. And the new age type of people running the show, couldn't care less.
The crew setting up the rings are employees of the dog show supervisor, not the civic center.
Both the civic center and the airport are black holes facing Revenue Challenges that are sucking huge amounts of tax revenue generated subsidies from the county’s general fund. I hope Bob Culver’s 2021 proposed operating budget takes into consideration the loss of anticipated tax revenues as the result of Covid-19.
The county should sell this place to a private entity and let it be run as a private business.. if it is as good as it has been represented to be, that shouldn't be any problem. There will be a line of potential buyers, right?
My bet? Crickets.
Get it ready for the virus.
If the Civic Center cannot draw the events to keep them operating on their own then they should close the doors and turn it over to private ownership. As for as the help that is their bosses an Personnel Dept is inadequate and should be fired. They need to schedule events that the area can afford. They have a useless security operation and people are very hesitant to attend these events.
Not surprised at all. The government needs to get out of the entertainment business. Period.
Tell that to our families or the ones who keep the public works in the area going
Is never used for what it was intended to be used for anyway Wicomico YOUTH and civic center. School kids can't even use this place for dances, proms or graduations without being charged. Ridiculous!!!!!!! Close it, would not miss it anyway, just like that thing they call a zoo.
9:44,spot on that should have been done years ago.
We all have to shutter our businesses, lay off employees, try to eke out of this crisis. So many county and municipal employees are still going to work and collecting paychecks when there is no work to do. In a time of crisis is Recreation and Parks and special event organizers essential employees. Hell No. send them all home.
Capitalism rules say a failing business should be allowed to fail. Let it go, it is a drain on our Taxes!
About 10 years ago, Wicomico County had to impose a mandatory furlough plan upon all County employees. As a result of the Great Recession. Some County employees were required to take as many as 10-days mandatory furlough, without pay, and other employees, fewer furlough days.
Crappy management & sits empty , when it could be having $$$ making
Concerts !!! & other shows !!!
Some commenters don’t seem to understand the nature of government. Local, State, and Federal governments in the US are crime syndicates. They don’t “give up” properties to the private sector. They also aren’t supposed to be “profitable”.
They are organizations set up to allow connected business people to run criminal enterprises.
Tourism - what? Where? Did I miss something? 😂😂😂
Didn't the Civil Center sponsor the likes of Cosby sitting on the stage doing his thing😂 Seems to me he was always there. Lately all I see is Monster trucks. Forgive me if I have the Civil Center confused with another Salisbury Center.
Went their for a local Nutcracker show. Wow - so disappointing. It seemed half of Salisbury's stay at
home Mom's were on the stage on their toes trying to perform like their kids. We left at intermission.
Agree , it should have to be profitable on its own. And agree with 9:44, let the the local arts organization raise funds of that facility rather than reinvented the wheel downtown.
if taxpayers only could see what goes on at rec and parks on owens branch rd. they would be absolutely outraged. four "workers" going to 1 park in 4 different trucks and then talk all day. it is unreal. the parks are horrible and no one is held accountable. if u don't believe me check out winterplace park. im sick of it. also, 1 employee i saw was pulling a beer out of a cooler in a county truck. is anybody in charge or do the employees do whatever they choose? if Miller wants to conserve money he might want to get out of his castle and take a look around
Last thing I attended was in 2009. Nothing of anything that really interests.
I liked the old Civic Center
Boy did that thing burn there was tar paper and ash raining down
They don't have anything worthwhile going there for.
10:06am - HUH?
I have not been to the Civic Center in at least 20 years. If they had gotten a hockey team, I'd gone to games. But they have nothing else I've seen of any interest. Maybe a free indoor flea market I'd go to.
Call Bev Shank and Stevie Prettyman. They always had the answer.
It could be a GOLDMINE if anyone with common sense were in charge !!!
Dugh > Concerts > Disney shows > Circus Solie' > Ice skating shows >
Selling all that Beer & Food & Other stuff > Boxing > Wrestling >
etc etc You don't make any $$$$ when it is Closed !! Dugh
The WYCC has been between a rock and a hard place for a long time.
As a venue for HS sports, proms, sportsman shows, various dinners, bridal fairs, dog shows, etc it has sufficient space and adequate amenities.
As a venue for national acts, restricted by limited seating, questionable acoustics, etc. it is forced to charge high prices to meet guarantees demanded by the artists and performers. Many locals with some spare cash would elect to see the same act elsewhere in the region (VA, DC, PA) in a more pleasing venue. Ask your friends.
Events are often cancelled when ticket sales fail to materialize, often on very short notice. Personal peeve, not limited to WYCC, is service charges levied on top of the price of an event.
A few years back the director set up his own in-house catering operation which created a certain amount of overhead for wages, benefits, etc. It also hamstrung a lot of capable local business catering operations by denying them business, which they in turn paid to employees and eventually as taxes. That overhead, in the face of underutilization, may be part of the problem.
We need a fresh sheet of paper approach. I don't think trying to keep pace with OC is the answer.
They will give it away to Palmer Gillis or Gilkerson or one of the other five homeboys that rule Saisbury / Wicomico County for pennies on the thousands, since they are the top two crooks. That is what they have done on several buildings in Salisbury like the old Firehouse with the river front property.
You are very observant 414.
Bring them back
Civic center will be a DRUG Treatment center for the poor thugs
Dabury will be da new Baltimoe
I guess the alcohol sales there did not pan out to be what it was promised.
The place has been done for years and every council still harps to it as a "Quality of life" venue.
Sorry guys Salisbury quality of life has been gone for decades now and the only thing the civic center holds is fond memories of days gone by.
if rec and parks laid off 5 employees nobody would never notice. also, i walk through henry parker athletic complex routinely and i would like to know the tens of thousands of $ the county has wasted on ruining fields 1 and 4. when our slow pitch league starts up there will be a lot of pissed off players. taxpayers are getting screwed big time by this bunch. if u dont believe me just try walking on one of those infields after a quarter inch of rain. UNBELIEVABLE.
You don't understand satire, do you.
There is nothing essential about Wicomico County's recreation, parks and tourism department, unless the Civic Center needs to be converted into a temporary Hospital (or morgue). The department can only spread the virus if allowed to operate.
The department does not have N95 masks for the employees.
Incompetant Govt employees !! The top levels of course !!! Get the Blame
Good news Wicomico County employees. You all are getting a 5% pay raise starting July1, 2020.
OC convention center is a money pit every few years they dump millions of tax dollars into it and won’t have 1 concert there.
The amount of money taken in by the cc has NO relation to the budget. The income goes into the general fund of Wico county to be spent as the council sees fit. The “entire budget “ is determined as an expense to the county.
July 1 is long away from this pandemic. What good is money if your not healthy or even here to spend it? The council will cut this figure you can bet on it.
in response to 121 miller should send out pit bull pam to do some investigating. she's the only one that chuck, mark, and the employees are scared of
Sell More BEER !!!!! Try Corona !!!!!
Post a Comment