Bamberg County Council has passed its $25.9 million spending plan for 2024-2025, but continues to field questions about transparency during the budgeting process. Bamberg resident Ken Ahlin told council during last week’s meeting that it’s a travesty members of the public can only speak for three minutes during meetings.
Also, he said the county should provide more detail in its budget. “It had no department-by-department or agency funding expenditure breakdowns. The actual budget would typically be in dozens and dozens of single-space pages.
No, I’m not an accountant, not at all, but I do know how to balance a checkbook,” he said. He said the county’s response to his request for more information on the Bamberg Facilities Corporation also lacked substance. The BFC is a nonprofit charged with managing the county’s $8.
4 million in installment purchase revenue bonds, which were authorized by council in part to consolidate old debt. “It lacks the granularity of where the money is flowing in the associated account,” he said. Ahlin also asked for the names of the “three people” in the finance office who were tasked with formulating the budget.
“We’ll take your comments under advisement, and we’ll do what we think is appropriate,” Board Chairman Evert Comer Jr. said. At the end of the meeting, Councilwoman Sharon Hammond reiterated her ongoing concern about what she considers the budget’s lack of detail.
“I have a problem with the budget when I can’t see numbers. I have to keep stating that. We must see the numbers,” she said.
Councilman Clint Carter thanked Ahlin for coming. “Maybe we can get more people to show up and ask questions and have something to say. I just want to thank this council for working together and trying to get a few things accomplished," Carter said.
Councilman Dr. Jonathan Goodman II said, “I just hope everybody, again, continues to understand the importance of trying to work together for Bamberg County. We’re too small to have a divide where we can’t work together to get things accomplished.
” Comer said, “Let’s keep trying to work together for the common good of all. We’re going to have some different opinions on how things are done, but I believe that the heart and minds are right with all the ones and what they do. Let’s keep working together, council.
Let’s keep working together, everyone that’s out there.” In other matters, County Administrator Joey Preston stated the S.C.
Department of Commerce selected the county to participate in its S.C. Rural Development Strategic Planning Initiative.
The initiative is aimed to address the unique challenges faced by rural communities across the state and explore strategies to help them. “This is a new program. I don’t know too much about it other than we were selected.
They’re going to be meeting with us ...
about exactly what they plan to do. I think it’s an honor for them to pick us. They know that we have a lot going on, a lot of different projects,” the administrator said.
Bamberg County projects Preston also reported that graveling work on Lazy Lane and Salty Road will start on July 22, with a notice of the upcoming work to go out to homeowners along those roads. The county has also received two bids for the McGee Street sidewalk project, with that project also slated to begin “by the first of August,” Preston said. The county’s water tower project will be put out for bid in July, he said.
Preston said courthouse roofing work should begin in August. “We’ll soon be doing work with the windows and the doors. The rest of it will fall into place,” the administrator said.
He said the continued transformation of the old hospital into a multiservice complex also continues. Demolition is underway for the establishment of a new Emergency Operations Center. Keep Bamberg County Beautiful Coordinator Alisha Moore and Aiken resident Catherine Russell, a KBCB board member, reported on group activities.
“We declared June Community Service Month, where we have a few volunteers from the community ...
go out and collect their community service hours. We collectively gathered 630 pounds of trash over 25 days in the month of June for a total of 51 community service hours over 17 miles of road throughout the entire month,” Moore said. Russell talked about the group’s ongoing multi-phase work to clean up the county veterans cemetery and hopefully get it added to the National Register of Historic Places.
“Then we want to establish a friends (of the cemetery) association. ..
. Then, of course, the fourth phase is going to be perpetual care,” she said. “I truly believe that that cemetery is just another jewel in the crown of Bamberg County.
” Finance County Controller Gina Smith gave the April financial report, stating the county had $2,881,686.97 in income and expenditures of $887,511.41, for a positive balance of $1,994,175.
56 at the end of the month. County Finance Director T.M.
Thomas reported the general fund had year-to-date revenues as of the end of April of $8,098,043 with expenses coming in at $8,137,303, for a negative general fund balance of $39,260. Thomas said county departments continue to operate within their budgets. Other business Council will have a special called meeting at 1 p.
m. Thursday, July 18, for a public hearing and final third reading of an ordinance certifying the Rockland Industries property as a textile mill site under the S.C.
Textiles Communities Revitalization Act. Also, council approved a resolution assigning certain roles to the USDA Online Financial Reporting and Compliance System. Under the resolution, Preston will manage the $12 million federal grant the county received to develop its broadband system to help make high-speed internet affordable for underserved communities.
His duties will include, but are not limited to, providing signatures, authorizing certifications and entering/updating applications. Contact the writer: [email protected] or 803-533-5534.
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