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Resident says Colleton County denied request for 2026–27 budget documents under FOIA
Summary
A resident told the Colleton County Council on June 1 that she had been denied access to existing draft budget materials for fiscal 2026–27 and cited the South Carolina Freedom of Information Act; she left a copy of her request with the council and urged release of records she says are public.
Miss Williams, a Colleton County resident, told the county council on June 1 that she had been denied inspection of existing budget documents related to the county’s 2026–27 budget and invoked the South Carolina Freedom of Information Act.
"I was denied as a taxpaying citizen," Miss Williams said during public comment, adding that she had requested all existing records relating to the 2026–27 county budget after a May 22 special-called meeting. She said the council announced a roughly $40,000,000 budget and that about $4,000,000 had been cut, and that she believes draft worksheets, departmental submissions and working versions fall within the statute’s definition of public records.
Williams cited specific state provisions while asking the council to provide the materials: South Carolina Code sections 30-4-10 (general FOIA access) and 30-4-20(c) (definition of public records), and she asked that all existing portions of the budget be made available even if the final version has not been adopted. She said she left a copy of her written request with county staff for study.
The council did not announce a response or immediate next step on the record; the chair thanked Williams for her comment. The meeting transcript does not show the council producing the requested documents or making a formal finding about whether portions of the draft budget must be published at that time.
What happens next: Williams’ on-the-record request and statutory citations were placed before the council during public comment. If the council or county attorney does not provide the requested materials, state FOIA procedures would allow the requester to pursue administrative or judicial remedies; the transcript does not record any such follow-up action during the June 1 meeting.
