Finance director reports revenue gains; council discusses credit-card audit, aquatic-center funding and job fair

Mr. Parks, presenting the finance report, told the Marlboro County Council that general-fund revenues for the eight-month period ending Feb. 28, 2026, were up compared with the prior year and attributed the increase primarily to reassessment and fee-in-lieu distributions from multi-county industrial parks. He reviewed cash balances by fund and noted expenditures and budget percentages year to date.

Council members asked for clearer breakdowns and suggested formally involving the treasurer and auditor in finance meetings. Mr. Parks said the treasurer and auditor have expressed willingness to work with the council and that staff would arrange sessions as authorized by the council’s finance committee.

Members pressed for more information about the aquatic center; Mr. Parks said project payments and draws are in process, that ground testing is complete and that the county will provide a full-size packet and updated timelines to council. The county reported work and draws for the aquatic center across multiple funds and said total project costs would be disclosed in upcoming documentation.

Separately, Mr. Clavin announced a job fair on May 6, 2026, at the Bennettsville Community Center and described a countywide cleanup campaign starting March 20 with supplies provided by public works.

Note on numeric items: the meeting transcript contains several unusually large or inconsistent numeric entries in the finance presentation (see audit). Where possible the article reports figures as stated in the meeting and flags items for verification in published county financial documents.

What’s next: Council requested follow-up packets from finance and project staff, scheduled training on credit-card controls at the end of March, and asked for treasurer/auditor presence at future finance meetings.