COLUMBIA--South Carolina's failure to put about $80,000 into payroll operations and maintenance at McEntire Air National Guard Station "almost ensures" it will be put on a base-closure list, Adjutant General Stan Spears says.

Spears is asking the State Budget and Control Board to immediately put $79,881 into payroll, operations and maintenance at the facility near Eastover.

The federal government matches that money on a 3-for-1 basis.

"It's attributable to our annual state budget cuts," Guard spokes-man Lt. Col. Pete Brooks said.

The four years of tight state budgets that cut into agency spending have taken their toll on National Guard spending in South Carolina and have not gone unnoticed at the Air National Guard headquarters in Arlington, Va.

Lt. Gen. Daniel James told Spears in February letter the state wasn't abiding by federal agreements covering the operations and maintenance of McEntire.

"Annually the ANG installation in your state struggles with facility operations and maintenance costs," James wrote.

"Maintenance is at a minimum due to lacking supplies, contract and the personnel necessary to meet standards established by industry and the Air Force."

As a result, the Air National Guard will withdraw money that the state is not matching and "will not support any new military construction programs or projects" that would increase the facility's size until the state meets its partnership obligations, he said.

Monday, Spears wrote Frank Fusco, the budget board's director, for help covering the shortfall.

Falling out of compliance with a federal agreement covering McEntire means the "National Guard Bureau will withdraw badly needed funds" because the state isn't matching federal dollars "and lack of state support for McEntire almost ensures that the station will be placed on the BRAC list," Spears wrote.

The Base Realignment and Closure Commission is in the midst of selecting a new round of base closings.

The Pentagon will issue its recommendation by May 16.

Spears had earlier written Senate Finance Committee Chairman Hugh Leatherman, a Florence Republican and member of the State Budget and Control Board.

Leatherman's budget committee added $100,000 to the Air Guard's budget in the $5.8 billion spending plan it approved this week to address that problem.

Brooks said that money spent on operations, maintenance and payroll would go to South Carolina businesses and workers.

Gov. Mark Sanford, the budget board's chairman, will push to take care of that problem when the board meets Wednesday, his spokesman, Will Folks said.

The governor has "consistently done everything in his power over the last two years to protect every single military installation in South Carolina," Folks said.

But "with all due respect to General Spears, those comments are not helpful to the process," Folks said.