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Military Department asks lawmakers for armory upgrades, PPE funding and state guard pay changes
Summary
The Office of the Adjutant General presented budget priorities including $2.8 million for armory revitalization, funding to retrofit a Winnsboro warehouse for climate-controlled PPE storage, $185,000 to buy 4.1 acres near the Graniteville Armory, and requests to address a $566,000 lapse and other state guard execution shortfalls.
General McCarty, Adjutant General of the South Carolina Military Department, told the Constitutional Subcommittee on Jan. 28 that the department seeks a package of recurring and nonrecurring funds to support armory revitalization, PPE stockpile management, state guard operations and several smaller program increases.
The requests include $2.8 million in recurring funds for armory revitalization; funding to extend and replace the state PPE stockpile storage and management contract while retrofitting a 20,000-square-foot Winnsboro warehouse to provide climate-controlled storage; $185,000 in nonrecurring capital to purchase 4.1 acres owned by the South Carolina Forestry Commission adjacent to the Graniteville Armory; and several personnel and operating requests such as 500 Microsoft 365 licenses (about $50,000 annually) and $54,000 recurring to increase pay at the South Carolina Military Museum.
Why it matters: The Military Department argued its operations generate economic activity for the state while supporting emergency responses such as Hurricane Helene and the presidential inauguration. McCarty said the department “return[s] an investment of over $576,000,000 to the state, with $490,000,000 of that coming directly to the state and approximately $87,000,000 going out of state.” The committee was also briefed on active deployments and recent disaster responses that rely on the department’s resources.
Details of the request and discussion
- PPE and warehousing: Mr. Stinson described three linked priorities to replenish expiring PPE, extend the current stockpile management contract to allow time to renovate the Winnsboro warehouse, and retrofit 20,000 square feet of that warehouse to be climate controlled. He described the requests as interdependent: replacement PPE, a contract extension, and the Winnsboro retrofit. The committee asked whether other state climate-controlled warehouses exist; Stinson said they had not specifically asked the Department of Administration and agreed to follow up to check availability.
- State Guard and provisos: McCarty described problems executing funds for the State Guard after changing the program from a stipend to a paid limited-duty model. He said the department under‑executed about $1,170,000 in the prior year and after moving funds and carry forward reduced the lapse to roughly $566,000. McCarty said the department reallocated roughly $600,000 and plans additional realignments, including $350,000 in state projects dollars and $1,000,000 to support armory revitalization and backup generators. He described efforts to grow the State Guard to an authorized 750 members.
- Other priorities and enabling language: The department asked for an enabling proviso to allow donation or disposal of PPE determined to be junk per state surplus rules, proposed language to expand a security program’s description to include counterterrorism to qualify for grant funding, and a proviso to allow purchase of the Graniteville parcel from the Forestry Commission.
- Execution and budgeting: Amanda Welch, presenting budget execution figures, said the department’s overall execution rate through Jan. 15 was about 59% and described which lines reflected carry-forward special funds. Committee members pressed on whether the department had sufficient funds to sustain armory operations through the year; Welch said current allocations and carry forward were included in the current budget, and McCarty described steps taken with the governor’s budget office to realign rather than reduce the State Guard appropriation.
What was not decided
No formal committee votes or motions were recorded in the transcript. Several proviso changes and follow-up items (including Department of Administration availability of climate-controlled space) were requested for follow-up rather than decided.
Ending
The department concluded by thanking the subcommittee and noting the role state match dollars play in enabling federal support. Committee staff will carry outstanding questions — notably the Department of Administration warehouse check and final proviso language — into subsequent budget work.
