THE STATE BUDGET and Control Board’s approval of a plan to relocate the State Farmers Market is a prime example of the kind of poor spending decisions that help South Carolina be last where it wants to be first and first where it wants to be last.

At a time when it’s critical that we make sure essential services are adequately funded, some state officials — aided by Richland County Council — think it’s more important to build a new farmers market.

Sure, the Bluff Road market is old and rickety. But we’ve got roads and bridges that are older and more rickety. What kind of priorities do we have when we rank relocating a market above meeting critical needs such as schools, public safety and health care for poor children and families?

The Budget and Control Board recently voted 3-2 to approve a plan for a new $46 million, 196-acre market. Richland County will pay $19.5 million, and the state will pay $26.5 million.

Last month, Richland County Council approved an incentive package to move the market to Shop Road that includes $4 million for the land, $250,000 each year for 20 years to promote the new market and $500,000 in engineering and architectural costs. Richland also will borrow $10 million that would allow major wholesalers to build at the new site. The vendors would pay the county back over 20 years.

The state plans to borrow $10 million for the relocation. It also will put at least $14 million from the sale of the Bluff Road site into the deal and $2.5 million from selling an existing food safety laboratory. The University of South Carolina has agreed to buy the old market for at least $14 million. USC said it will pay what an appraiser says the property is worth.

Frankly we don’t understand why the Budget and Control Board and Richland County are pressing so hard to move forward with this project at this most inopportune time. Although state finances are improving, we’ve got a long way to go. This money could be used for a better purpose.

We commend Gov. Mark Sanford and Comptroller General Richard Eckstrom for opposing this plan. While the two said the project is worthwhile, they properly questioned the wisdom of doing it at this time. We also appreciate County Council members Val Hutchinson, Joe McEachern and Mike Montgomery for taking a stand against the relocation. The county can’t afford to fork over nearly $20 million for a new market any more than the state can; it also has pressing needs.

Building a new market now is a bad move. State and county leaders should be more in tune with the need to set priorities and make sure the essentials are met. That doesn’t mean that a new market should never be built. It just means that we should wait until finances are better and we have shored up more important areas that are crumbling around us.

We fear the state and Richland County are about to mortgage the farm for the farmers market.

Let’s hope that it pays off in spite of this sorry show of public stewardship.