Transparency in Government
A lot has been said about my Op-Ed “Why We Need Debates” posted on Gab News questioning the authenticity of my statements.
I would like to respond to some of the rebuttals posted by your readers;
FB Statement: Public notice was given
My Rebuttal: A notice may have been posted on the city web site or on social media but this does not comply with SC Laws Section 6-1-80 Budget Adoption, which states a municipality shall provide public notice by advertising in at least one South Carolina newspaper of general circulation in the area. This is the law and this did not happen.
FB Statement: I added numbers twice when assessing the cost of the new Electric Dept. Building
My Rebuttal: here are the numbers I’ve taken from the city’s web site;
2025 budget Building and Improvements $766,548.00
2026 Budget Building and Improvements $1,052,418.00
Cost of buying two lots $2,600,000.00
Revenue Bond Issued 2023 $ 3,850,000.00
Total $8,268,966.00
The Revenue Bond makes no mention of the funds being used for purchasing, only for consolidating the electric, fleet and public works under one roof.
Since the city is taxing the utilities ($1.6 million this year) as if they were a private enterprise, why are they putting them in a shared facility? This only further clouds how the value of the utilities is assessed and the utilities appear to be carrying the entire cost of the build out. This would mean money paid for utility bills is being used to house the highway department. If my numbers and assessments are wrong, then let the city hold a press conference and explain how the combining the different departments is paid for and how the costs are being assessed. How much is this project costing the tax payers and is the cost ultimately going to be paid through the utility bills?
Jay Doyle