Salaries are nearly 75% of the Downtown Alliance budget. Myrtle Beach Gold Caps questioned

A downtown public service program whose members clean up trash and assist tourists along the oceanfront could see potential budget cuts.

The Gold Cap Ambassadors, launched three years ago and are currently being funded by the Myrtle Beach Downtown Alliance. The program that employs 12 positions throughout the year is slated to get nearly a third of the agency’s $1.56 million budget in 2024 — giving at least two board members pause.

Salaries comprise roughly 75 percent of the alliance’s 2024 spending plan.

• Salaries - $489,407
• Ambassadors - $526,062
• Professional Fees - $142,600
• Total budget - $1.561,238

“Can you not create a few team leaders, cut that budget in half and use volunteers,” Horry Council member and downtown alliance board member Mikey Masciarelli asked alliance officials at a May 25 meeting. “If you’re paying out over half a million dollars to twelve people and it doesn’t sound like they’re employed all year long, that seems like awful high pay for that position versus what other jobs are paying in the community.”

Masciarelli said following the meeting he isn’t opposed to the Gold Cap program and could be willing to support its $526,062 budget allocation, but not without more information.

“So often, things like this, boards make decisions very nonchalantly, where if it was your personal finances or your business, you’d want to know where every penny was going,” he said. “We tend to gloss over things, approve it and then when something happens, then everyone has questions, when they should have questions up front.”

The alliance’s governing board on May 25 unanimously voted on its budget, but changes can still be made before the start of the new fiscal year on July 1.

Launched in 2020, the gold-clad workers patrol downtown removing graffiti and litter, providing hospitality and reporting problems to city officials. The program, operated under the parent company Block by Block is managed by the alliance.

Block by Block has ambassador programs in over 100 districts in about 30 states, including New York, Nevada, California, Connecticut, North Carolina and Texas. South Carolina also has a program in Columbia.

The Sun News reported in October that Gold Caps recovered $13,000 worth of waylaid shopping carts from areas within their jurisdiction, for example.

Mayor Brenda Bethune, an ardent supporter of the ambassadors, asked program operations manager Mike Snow to update the alliance board at a future meeting.

“When you see it as just a number and not the equipment needed, then it’s hard to understand the value of that program,” she said. “I think we have some new board members that really aren’t familiar with the program and that’s why I asked for more detail.”

The new Downtown Alliance chief has a busy summer ahead.

Jason Greene, who took over the alliance May 2, also laid out his plans for the next 90 days, culminating in August when he’s expected to deliver the board a vision statement.

“We believe that our downtown is the heart of our home and that our home should make everyone feel welcome, connected and safe,” Greene said May 25.

The next 10 weeks will be an “intensive, rapid planning process” that includes:

• Data-driven analysis
• Creation of timelines to support the alliance’s long-term objectives
• Exploration of cost savings
• Continued work with consultant James Lima Planning + Development

“We want to do the things that are impactful for the direction that we are heading in,” Greene said.

This story was originally published May 25, 2023 at 1:32 PM.