Charleston County Puts Spending Information Online

Charleston County joined the quickly growing list of local South Carolina governments putting spending records online last week.

The county now has a new transparency section on its website including a comprehensive listing of county spending information, including employee credit card expenditures of more than $100. It does not contain personal data including employee salary and health insurance information.

Charleston County Councilman and Policy Council member Joe McKeown pushed the county to implement online transparency after seeing Comptroller General Eckstrom’s offer to assist local governments with putting spending records online.

County officials initially objected and argued transparency would cost too much, but after speaking with Eckstrom they became convinced it can be done cheaply and easily, said McKeown.

“Every dollar we spend belongs to the public, and having these records online serves as a daily reminder to every public official and employee that the money we spend is theirs and they are watching to make sure we spend it wisely,” said McKeown.

Charleston County says it will post a report each month containing the prior month's spending records. May spending data is already online for the public to view.

Click here to view May 2009 spending information for Charleston County.

Since 2006, 14 states and five of the nation’s 40 largest school districts have created online check registers at absolutely no cost to the taxpayer. At the state level, Comptroller Eckstrom already operates a transparency website for 85 state agencies and has repeatedly offered to help local governments implement transparency.

During the past year multiple local governments across the state have created online spending websites, including Anderson County and the cities of Aiken, Cayce, Irmo and Turbeville. Officials from the city of Columbia, South Congaree and Dorchester County have committed to transparency, but are not yet online.

Upstate officials in Greenville County, Simpsonville and Fountain Inn have called for online transparency but other members of those governments have objected.