2 more counties to go online

Responding to a growing demand for more government transparency, Charleston and Dorchester counties plan to post their spending on the Internet within the next couple of weeks.

Charleston County started working on it last month but delayed to make sure no personal information, such as Social Security numbers, was posted, Public Information Officer Jennie Davis said Friday. The county could have its spending online by the end of the month, she said.

Dorchester County passed a resolution to put spending online May 4. Administrator Jason Ward said he's working on getting it done as soon as possible.

Berkeley County considered putting its spending online but decided it would cost too much, Deputy Supervisor Chip Boling said.

"A mechanism for the public to access this information already exists," Boling said. "We determined that the cost in resources and personnel to implement this additional option is not feasible at this time."

Dorchester County Council Chairman Jamie Feltner made the motion to put spending records online. Councilman Kenny Waggoner got council to amend it to include salaries of at least $50,000.

"It's the citizens' money, and I have no problem with them seeing where their money goes," Feltner said. "To me that's the only way you're going to get feedback from the public. If we're doing things they don't like, they can let us know."

Dorchester County's resolution cites the example of S.C. Comptroller General Richard Eckstrom, who put the spending of all state agencies on his government transparency Web site in March. The site was updated last week to allow searches of each agency by vendor, Communications Officer R.J. Shealy said.

Anderson County was the first county to put its check register online, in April. The cities of Cayce, Irmo and Turbeville followed suit. Columbia also has been talking with Eckstrom about going online, Shealy said.

All state school districts also will have to put their spending online next year, according to state Sen. Mike Rose of Summerville, a Republican. He co-sponsored an amendment to a school spending resolution that will require it, and it passed the General Assembly this session.

Rose also introduced a bill that will require colleges and universities to post their spending, including hidden accounts. It's in the Senate Education Committee, and Rose expects the Legislature to take it up in January.

Anderson County didn't spent any extra money putting its check register online, and posting spending online actually ends up saving government money, according to S.C. Policy Council Communications Director Bryan Cox, who has been monitoring the issue.

"When you have transparency, you have accountability," Cox said. "When you know the public is watching, you are more careful how you spend money."

The council started pushing for counties, municipalities and school districts to put their spending online after Cox asked for the spending records of 85 school districts across the state earlier this year. Government bodies can charge for the cost of gathering information under the state's Freedom of Information Act. Getting the information from the school districts would have cost more than $400,000, Cox said.

That seemed unreasonable since citizens can get information on state spending for free online, he said.

"This is public information, and taxpayers have a right to it," Cox said. "The only way you can hold your government accountable is to know what the money is being spent on."

Reach Dave Munday at dmunday@postandcourier.com or 937-5720.