The Cherokee County Recreation District has requested about $50,000 in additional funding from the county in the proposed budget.

Instead of taking that money from the pockets of county taxpayers, Cherokee County Councilman Quay Little thinks it should come from the city's Hospitality Tax revenue.

"I think we should see if the city will contribute," Little told fellow members of the county's Budget Committee this week.

The Recreation District wants a 3.8 mill appropriation from the county in the proposed budget, an increase of .3 mills. The 3.8 mills would generate about $565,000 in tax revenue for the recreation district.

But Little thinks county taxpayers could be spared the tax increase by asking the city to use a portion of its hospitality tax to fund the increase.

"I think the city should give the Recreation District more with their H-tax," he said.

The hospitality tax is a surcharge on prepared food. It should generate about $800,000 in revenue for the city in 2006-'07, according to the most recent projections available.

The city currently gives the Recreation District $50,000 annually to maintain the city parks.

Gaffney Mayor Henry Jolly said the city is actually contributing more than $50,000 to the Recreation District.

"I haven't heard of this or discussed this with anyone," Jolly said. "But we have already donated $163,000 in Htax money to improve the Recreation District facilities."

City Council recently approved spending $163,000 to upgrade Thomson Park.

Jolly added he would consider the idea if the county enacted a Hospitality Tax on restaurants in the unincorporated area of the county.

"If that happened, I'd be open to matching what the county gave," he said.

Cherokee County Interim Administrator Ben Clary told Little he would feel more comfortable with the idea if the Recreation District, not county council, made the request to the city.