By Betsy Finklea
A recent Dillon County Council budget workshop focused mainly on the Dillon County Council chairman’s desire to see the county’s bank statement with little about the upcoming budget year being discussed.
Shortly  after the meeting started, Scott asked how often the county gets bank statements and why the council cannot get a copy of them.
County Administrator Clay Young informed Scott that he was not the custodian of the bank statements
County Treasurer Jamie Estes said that she was required to give the council the most correct record of the finances and the bank statements were not the most correct record.
Young said in the other counties he had worked in that the council goes off the general ledger and never had access to the bank statements.
Young said that  he could send a Freedom of Information Act request to the treasurer to get the bank statements. Young said that he would send a letter when the majority of council instructed him to do so.
Scott said he thought it was good business for the governing body to see the bank statements.
Estes said that she would make the statements available to Scott, and  he could come to her office and see them any time he would like. Estes said she did not want the statements on the streets due to security issues. She said there was several agencies’ money reflected on the statement not just the county’s money.
Young said he provided council financial information such as the budget report, fuel report, and check registers, and much of this information was also online for the public to view.
Councilman Joe Johnson said until last year they never got the report that they do now. He said he didn’t think one could look at a bank statement and tell how much money was in the bank until it was reconciled.
Scott said he could project where they were at if he had this information.
Further discussion was held regarding the matter, but little was discussed about the actual upcoming budget.