Anderson County, South Carolina
From Sunshine Review
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Anderson County is one of 46 counties in South Carolina.
[edit] Website evaluation
- Main article: Evaluation of South Carolina county websites
[edit] The good
- Council members listed and individual contact information is provided. Meeting schedule, minutes, and agendas available.[1]
- Financial audits and budgets available.[2]
- Zoning information[3] and building permits available.[4]
- Administrative officials listed under respective departments.
- The contract bidding process is online.[5]
- Tax assessments and other tax information is available online.[6][7]
- Information on how to make a public records request is provided on the site.[8]
- Lobbying statistics and information are posted on activities from 2002 to 2008.[9]
[edit] Website upgrade
The County updated its website in June of 2009. The website took additional steps by posting their checkbook register and credit card accounts.[10] Comptroller Eckstrom has also offered online space for small cities and counties to upgrade their websites by putting this type of information on his own Web site, to remove cost as an obstacle.[11] The town of Irmo and Eckstrom signed up to also get the upgrade.
The county has also entered competing with 15 other counties in the state for best project during the annual South Carolina Association of Counties conference.
"Anderson County is looking back to our roots: a government of the people, by the people, for the people and we want to go a step further and bring it to the people. We want to change the conversation from what it has been --inherent distrust of government since pretty much the beginning of government--to how we can work together." said Angie Stringer, public information director.[12]
[edit] Freedom of Information forum
In March of 2010, Anderson County help a Freedom of Information forum. Interium county administrator Rusty Burns, Jay Bender, attorney for the South Carolina Press Association, Senator Kevin Bryant-R and Sunshine Review's Kristinpedia were on the panel.[13]
[edit] Lobbying
- Main article:South Carolina taxpayer-funded lobbying
Anderson County has reported $706,496 in lobbying expenditures between 2002 and 2008. During that time the received $8 million dollars in federal money and $1.3 million in state funds with most of the money going towards transportation projects.[12] In 2009, the county was no longer employing lobbyists or any lobbying organizations to raise money for the county, but still belongs to the South Carolina Association of Counties, which does engage in taxpayer-funded lobbying.[12]
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[edit] Earmarks
Below is a list of earmarks that were granted towards Anderson County.[9]
| 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | Total | |
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| Federal | $1,500,000 | - | $2,980,500 | $1,833,061 | $1,447,135 | - | $300,000 | $8,060,696 |
| State | - | - | - | - | - | $500,000 | $800,000 | $1,300,000 |
[edit] Public records
Anderson County has several lawsuits pending regarding how requests for public records are handled. [15]
[edit] Bradshaw v. Anderson County
Erick Bradshaw Sr sued Chairman Eddie Moore in February of 2009 for not responding to a FOIA request within the allotted 30 days. Bradshaw requested 19 items, some of which were delivered in a reasonable time frame. In the FOIA response, Moore said the others would be delivered, but never were.[16] There is debate over whether a number of the items exist, including a list of employees council members wanted terminated.[17] The county asked that the court case be dismissed, but the dismissal was rejected.[18] A hearing about the case was scheduled for October 2009.[19]
[edit] Misstatement in FOIA response
Moore had to issue an apology to council member Gracie Floyd, after her FOI request response said that meeting minutes document didn't exist, when it did.[20] Floyd is part of a committee that is overseeing an investigation of the financial and legal matters of the previous county administration.[21]
[edit] Investigation into fraud
Citizens sued in February of 2009, due to the county hiring two investigation firms to looking to wasteful and fraudulent spending.[22]
[edit] External links
- Official Anderson County Website
- Anderson County Sheriff
- South Carolina Association of Counties, Anderson County
- Anderson County Library
- Anderson County Tax Assessor
- Anderson County Visitor's Bureau
- Anderson County Twitter feed
[edit] References
- ↑ Council
- ↑ Finance Reports
- ↑ Planning
- ↑ Permits
- ↑ Contracts and bidding
- ↑ Tax assessments
- ↑ Treasurer
- ↑ Public records
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Lobbying
- ↑ Check Register
- ↑ Independent Mail, Anderson County’s open Web site lauded, June 23, 2009
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 Independent Mail, Openness is Anderson’s message at convention, July 29, 2009
- ↑ Independent Mail, Freedom of Information forum set in Anderson County, March 11, 2010
- ↑ Open Secrets
- ↑ Businessman adds lawsuit against Anderson County, Independent Mail, February 23, 2009
- ↑ Independent Mail, Businessman adds lawsuit against Anderson County, February 23, 2009
- ↑ Independent Mail, FOIA lawsuit against Anderson County heard, September 3, 2009
- ↑ Independent Mail, FOI case in Anderson moves forward, March 25, 2009
- ↑ Independent Mail, Hearing scheduled Wednesday in Bradshaw case, October 26, 2009
- ↑ Independent Mail, Floyd was told that minutes, approved Tuesday, did not exist, August 19, 2009
- ↑ Independent Mail, Moore apologizes to Floyd for misstatement in letter, August 21, 2009, check back for more information.
- ↑ Independent Mail, Anderson County Council sued; citizens seek restraining order, February 9, 2009
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