Candidate Discovers Brilliant Solution to Problem He Created (But It’s Illegal)
In a masterclass of political maneuvering that would make Machiavelli weep with envy, York County Councilman William “Bump” Roddey has managed to create a funding crisis, blame his opponents for it, and then propose an illegal solution—all while keeping a straight face.
The Setup: Creating a Problem
In June 2025, Roddey and his fellow York County Council members voted to abolish the Recreation Tax District that unincorporated residents had been paying for about two decades. This 1.5 mill tax—about $23 per year for the median homeowner—allowed county residents to participate in municipal youth sports programs at the same rate as city residents.
But here’s the kicker: the county simultaneously implemented a new countywide 1.5 mill tax that applies to all county residents, including those in municipalities. This means Rock Hill residents now pay twice—once through their municipal taxes for their own parks, and again through the new county tax.
The elimination of this funding source created an immediate $450,000 budget shortfall for Rock Hill’s recreation programs, forcing the city to dramatically increase fees for non-residents.
The Consequences: Pricing Out Families
The results were immediate and painful for county families. Starting July 15, 2025, non-resident recreation fees in Rock Hill nearly doubled or tripled:
- Youth baseball, basketball, softball, volleyball, and soccer jumped from $65 to $135
- Tackle football costs rose from $80 to $150
- Summer camps like “Fun in the Sun” increased from $600 to $800
- Individual tennis memberships skyrocketed from $250 to $750
- Family tennis memberships tripled from $375 to $1,125
As HERE Rock Hill reported, “registration costs for out-of-town participants in various activities, including little league sports, will see dramatic spikes, with prices doubling or tripling.”
The Pivot: Blame the Victims
Rather than acknowledging that his vote directly caused these fee increases and raised taxes on Rock Hill residents, Roddey has spent his mayoral campaign attacking Rock Hill’s leadership for the consequences of his own actions.
Think about the audacity: Roddey voted to force Rock Hill residents to pay a new county tax while simultaneously eliminating funding that helped keep their recreation programs affordable. Now he’s asking those same taxpayers to elect him mayor to fix the problems he created.
It’s like setting someone’s car on fire, sending them a bill for the matches, and then running for fire chief on a platform of “Why are there so many car fires in this town?”
The Solution: Breaking State Law
But here’s where Roddey’s genius truly shines. In multiple Facebook posts from August 2025, he has explicitly proposed using tourism and hospitality tax revenue to fund recreation programs. In one post, he states: “It would be a cost savings to families by allowing our youth to participate in our City Rec Programs at No Cost! More kids would participate and local families would benefit from the Tourism dollars being pumped into our city!”
In another post, he asks: “With all the Millions of Sports Tourism related tax dollars coming into our City of Rock Hill, SC why are our families still paying to participate in our City Rec Leagues? As Mayor I will eliminate these Youth Rec Fees for our children! It’s time for our kids to benefit from all the Millions Of Sports Tourism tax dollars being pumped into our city year!”
There’s just one tiny problem: South Carolina law explicitly forbids this.
According to South Carolina Code Section 6-1-730, hospitality tax revenue must be used “exclusively” for:
- Tourism-related buildings (civic centers, coliseums, aquariums)
- Tourism-related cultural, recreational, or historic facilities
- Beach access and renourishment
- Tourist access roads
- Tourism advertisements and promotions
- Tourism infrastructure
- Tourism-related flooding control
Notice what’s not on that list? General recreation operations, youth sports leagues, and routine park maintenance—exactly what Roddey explicitly promises to fund with these restricted dollars.
The Irony: Touting What You Can’t Touch
The cherry on top? Roddey’s own Facebook posts brag that “Tourism has generated over $28M in Accommodations and Hospitality Tax Revenue for the City of Rock Hill” over three years, then immediately promises to use these same restricted funds for general recreation programs.
He’s literally boasting about money that state law says can’t be used for the purposes he’s promising, while simultaneously proposing to violate that law as his campaign platform.
This is like promising to pay teacher salaries with parking meter money and acting surprised when the math doesn’t work.
The Numbers Don’t Lie
The impact of Roddey’s vote becomes crystal clear when you look at the data. According to WRHI’s reporting on the original committee recommendation, “59.5% of all sports program registrations come from unincorporated residents” who used municipal facilities while paying the recreation tax.
Now these same families face potentially insurmountable costs to participate in the same programs, all because Roddey voted to eliminate their equalized funding.
The Legal Expert vs. The Economics Graduate
This brings us to an interesting contrast. Mayor John Gettys—who holds a law degree, Master’s in Public Administration, and has been recognized in “Best Lawyers in America”—presumably understands what hospitality taxes can and cannot legally fund.
Meanwhile, Roddey’s approach appears to be based on either:
- Fundamental misunderstanding of state law
- Deliberate misrepresentation to voters about what’s legally possible
- A belief that campaign promises don’t need to comply with existing statutes
The Pattern: Creating Problems, Blaming Others
This isn’t Roddey’s first time with this playbook. During the 2021 New-Indy environmental crisis that affected over 17,000 residents with foul odors, Roddey—who worked for the company—publicly defended his employer while simultaneously serving on county council.
As WCNC reported, Roddey said: “I know the guys who are running the facility. Great group of individuals. They’re going to do all they can to make sure this, not just goes away, but is handled properly.”
The pattern is clear: benefit from or support policies that create problems, then campaign against the consequences.
The Bottom Line
Roddey has essentially played political three-card Monte with recreation funding:
- Card 1: Vote to eliminate stable funding for county residents
- Card 2: Watch families get priced out of programs
- Card 3: Promise an illegal solution while blaming Rock Hill
The house always wins in three-card Monte, but in this case, the house is the voters who get stuck with either paying triple fees or watching their kids miss out on sports.
Meanwhile, the candidate who created this mess is running around town like a political Clark Kent, pretending he just discovered these problems and has the perfect solution—if only state law would get out of the way of his campaign promises.
For families affected by these fee increases, Rock Hill Parks, Recreation & Tourism encourages contacting the York County Manager’s Office at 803-684-8511 to inquire about possible reimbursement options—though don’t hold your breath waiting for help from the same council that created the problem.