Lawmakers sue Greenville County over budget, alleged secret meeting
GREENVILLE, S.C. (FOX Carolina) - Several lawmakers filed a lawsuit on Monday against Greenville County and its council over practices involving the passage of the county’s budget.
The lawsuit says the current process for approving the budget, which is done two years at a time, is illegal and needs to be changed to an annual process. The lawmakers filing the suit said a biennium budget violates public notice requirements and makes it difficult to adjust the budget for the next year in the event of changing economic conditions.
The lawsuit says in part:
The lawmakers believe county council held a secret meeting in June where “efforts were made to encourage councilors to support the budget.” The budget for fiscal years 2024 and 2025, which county council approved in July, includes increased property taxes for both years.
“One of the main focuses of this lawsuit and a lot of others like it, is it requires our public officials to follow the law—we have good laws. The problem is, our public officials are not as faithful and diligent as they should be with following the laws,” said Jim Carpenter, an attorney representing the plaintiffs.
A spokesperson for Greenville County declined to comment on the allegations.
On Thursday County Council Chairman Dan Tripp released the following statement:
“This is a political disagreement masquerading as a lawsuit. The County carefully followed the prescribed laws and rules in approving by a supermajority of votes its budgets. We will vigorously defend the integrity and lawfulness of our budget process.”
“Everything alleged makes sense and mirrors my experience,” Councilman Steve Shaw said. “The taxpayers are furious with shady backroom deals, the money shell game, and being told to shut up and mind their own business.”
The parties suing Greenville County include Senator Dwight A. Loftis, Representative James Mikell “Mike” Burns, Representative Adam M. Morgan, Representative T. Alan Morgan, Representative Ashley B. Trantham, Michelle Shuman, and the South Carolina Public Interest Foundation.
They also accuse the county of violating the Freedom of Information Act, saying minutes for some county council budget workshops have not been publicly disclosed.
“Minutes are necessary to confirm what was acted on and agreed to at a meeting and to record discussions to ensure no ambiguity exists in what was actually decided,” the lawsuit states. “Without agreed-upon minutes, individual recollections of what transpired are bound to differ, and they will increasingly differ over time.”
Below is the full lawsuit:
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