Deficit Spending Cap of $252,000 put on Conference Center

Recently WMSR News reported that Manchester-Coffee County Conference Center Manager Rebecca French requested more operating money for budget year 2018-19. Two proposals were presented to the Coffee County Budget and Finance Committee. County officials have turned down the proposals, opting to put a cap on the deficit spending at $252,000.
One option that French presented totaled $416,000. French says this one includes in-kind discounts given to nonprofit organizations and schools that rent the center. The second option, totaling about $316,000, did not include continued in-kind contributions.
French informed WMSR that $94,000 of the proposals was for repairs and maintenance of the building.
Coffee County Budget and Finance Committee says that if conference center management fails to keep losses below this target, officials have said the county will seek legal advice to determine its options – including whether the loss-covering agreement can be terminated.
With Coffee County and the City of Manchester equally responsible for covering the center’s losses, each entity would have to provide about $126,000 to cover expected losses in the upcoming fiscal year.
The center was built in 2002 for $3.5 million dollars with $1.5 million still owed. Losses at the center have topped $1 million over the last three years combined.