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The removal of the confederate flag from the statehouse in South Carolina has opened the door for a debate on whether to spend millions of dollars to keep it in a Civil War museum.

According to The Huffington Post, authorities voted to have the flag placed in the Confederate Relic Room and Military Museum Commission after it was taken down in July. Calls for the flag’s removal stemmed from the Charleston church shooter Dylann Roof, who killed nine African-Americans in June. Since then, lawmakers have debated on how much money to spend to preserve the flag in the museum.

After disagreeing on a $5.3 million commission for the flag and repairs for the museum, a $3.6 million budget was considered.

The money will go into expanding the Relic Room by one-third to display the flag. Over half a million will also go into repairing leaks in the entrance of the museum with $589,000 going into changing a courtyard into a landscaped public space.

Politicians voiced their opposition on the vote with State Rep. Chris Corley (R-Aiken) deeming the plan irresponsible.

The Huffington Post reports:

“You take the flag down and then all of a sudden you’re going to put this huge amount of money into the Confederate Relic Room,” Corley said. “It’s a trade-off and I do not like doing business like that.”

Corley added that the money should instead be used to repair roads and structures damaged by October floods.

“This may blow everybody’s mind and throw everybody for a loop, but I am not voting for that much money to go into it,” Corley said of the flag display. 

The Relic room currently has a staff of four full-time employees and an annual budget of $860,000.

The state legislature will discuss the proposed budget next month.

SOURCE: Huffington Post | VIDEO CREDIT: Inform

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Confederate Flag Removed From SC Statehouse Can Cost Up To $3 Million To Preserve  was originally published on newsone.com