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North Augusta council reclassifies tourism post and moves Greenway into tourism department
Summary
The council approved two linked ordinances reclassifying the tourism manager to tourism director and transferring Greenway operations to the tourism department, with members stressing both economic benefits from visitors and an ongoing focus on citizen quality-of-life.
The North Augusta City Council voted unanimously July 20 to reclassify the tourism manager position as tourism director and to transfer Greenway operations, staff, facilities and programs into the tourism department.
Mayor Bridal S. Williams said the Greenway attracts visitors from Greenville, Aiken and Waynesboro and provides an economic benefit to the city. "When you walk the Greenway... that is people coming into town to spend money," Williams said, adding that the city will continue to prioritize local residents' quality of life. Staff explained both ordinances had been discussed previously in study sessions and require two-reading approval because they amend the code of ordinances.
Council members debated whether the Greenway is principally a park or primarily a tourism asset. Councilmember David Buck said citizens' use remains central but supported moving the function to tourism to better align oversight. "As long as the quality is what the citizens expect and it gets better, I think this is a good thing," Buck said. Clifford, speaking for staff, said the change mostly affects supervisory responsibility and staffing structure rather than day-to-day public access.
The council approved ordinance 2026-15 (reclassification) and ordinance 2026-16 (Greenway incorporation) on second reading by unanimous vote. The move is intended to create parity between tourism leadership and peer service directors and to centralize Greenway programming and promotion under the city's tourism brand, "Explore North Augusta."
