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Council hears plan to reclassify tourism manager to director and move Greenway team into Tourism
Summary
Staff proposed reclassifying the tourism manager to tourism director and moving the three-person Greenway team from Parks & Recreation to Tourism to focus operations and marketing; staff said the change will cost roughly $6,000 in salary/benefit adjustments and is intended to increase attention to the Greenway as both a resident asset and tourism driver.
City staff presented ordinance 2026-15 on June 29 to reclassify the tourism manager as tourism director and to reorganize the Greenway team under Tourism.
"This is more of an internal organizational change for operational efficiency," JD McCauley told council, saying the move would consolidate management of greenway facilities and events under Explore North Augusta. Tourism manager Carl Waldower described tourism as a cyclical investment: improving facilities and programming for residents can attract visitors, which can in turn increase lodging and hospitality tax revenues.
Staff said the budget impact is modest: the tourism director position would be charged 50% to the general fund and 50% to Riverfront Central Corps and that the combined mid-year salary/benefit adjustments for the two position changes total roughly $6,000. Council members asked whether moving the Greenway out of Parks & Recreation would affect the use of impact fees; staff said they would confirm legal restrictions but that impact fees typically fund new capacity rather than maintenance.
Council discussion also touched on how Tourism will market the Greenway and field resident concerns about perceived "taking" of the amenity for visitors. McCauley and Waldower emphasized a residents-first mantra and said the department will continue local programming while coordinating regional marketing required by hospitality tax rules.
The item was presented as a first reading; staff will return with corrected ordinance language (staff flagged a pay-period typo) and any required budget adjustments for formal council action.
